


Close Protection

by imnotbuck, TrishArgh



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Blood and Injury, Bodyguard, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Top Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 08:28:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19269496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotbuck/pseuds/imnotbuck, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishArgh/pseuds/TrishArgh
Summary: After getting into one too many fights, Instagram sweetheart and adopted son of the Stark family Steve Rogers-Stark is given a bodyguard much to his displeasure. His bodyguard is unlike any other and Steve is determined to know what makes him tick.





	Close Protection

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is an entry for the Captain America Reverse Big Bang 2019 and is made with love by mo and trish! We'd like to thank everyone for reading and thanks to our amazing beta El for working so hard to beta this monster of a fic! Thank you also the mods of the bang for making this process so easy. 
> 
> We can both be found on tumblr if you're interested: mo is [@fuckyfarnes](https://fuckyfarnes.tumblr.com/) and trish is [@frau-argh](https://frau-argh.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> A rebloggable masterpost can be found [here!](https://frau-argh.tumblr.com/post/185685263019/close-protection-words-by-imnotbuck-on-ao3)
> 
> Possible triggers are listed in the end notes.

 

 

“Absolutely not.” Steve’s voice is a near-growl that would frighten anyone aside from someone who’s incredibly used to hearing it.

 

Tony rolls his eyes and replies, “You really don’t have a say in this.”

 

“I am 24 years old--”

 

“--which is why you shouldn’t be getting into fights with random strangers in the first place!” Tony shouts, exasperated. “You should know better than this at your age.”

 

Normally Steve would argue about why he was right, but even he knows when to quit. Arguing with Tony about this is going to get him nowhere and it isn’t worth the annoyance. “I think this is really ridiculous and blowing the situation _way_ out of proportion,” he says instead. “I do not need a goddamn bodyguard.”

 

“When my dear old dad and your step-dad saw the article about your little fight online, he nearly keeled over right then. You fought with some of Hammer’s goons and now you’re a target for them, which is just wonderful in itself, but you also refuse to back down so you can’t be trusted to be on your own!”

 

“Why isn’t Howard the one delivering this magical news?” Steve asks, his eyes narrowed. It wouldn’t be a huge stretch for Tony to just be giving him a hard time.

 

“Because he may be an asshole but he’s not stupid; he’s in Washington talking to someone about something,” Tony replies with an eye roll. “So this is my job now.”

 

“You can see how stupid this is, can’t you?” he asks. “You have to be able to see that.”

 

The corner of Tony’s mouth twitches as he fights smiling. “Truthfully I can see the merit of it. Hammer doesn’t mess around when he feels threatened and you pose a big threat despite-”

 

“--If you finish that sentence, I will take a wrench to that suit you think you’ve hidden.”

 

Tony's eyes widen, then narrow. “Don't shoot the messenger, Steve. I'm just doing my job and giving you a heads up so you aren't caught off guard when you meet him.”

 

“When am I supposed to meet him?”

 

“Sometime this week,” Tony replies. “I wasn't given all the specifics.”

 

“Do you at least know what he looks like?”

 

“Nope,” he says and starts to walk away. “Good luck with that, Stevie!”

 

“Don’t call me that,” he mutters and Tony waves him off without looking back.

 

-

 

One thing to note about Steve Rogers is that he can never stay silent for long. When he sees an injustice he refuses to sit idly by and allow it to happen; he uses his platform as a social media influencer to spread awareness about issues and make sure that his followers are as knowledgeable about problems as they can be. That is why as soon as the story about his fight with Hammer breaks in the media, he takes to Instagram to share his side of what happened.

 

As soon as he starts his Instagram live his fans come pouring in to show their support and worry.

 

**thePUNisher2019: what happened to your face man**

 

**spiderpete: put some ice on your cheek!!**

 

“So as you probably know because of the media shitshow, I was in an altercation two days ago. After hearing some disgusting statements made by three individuals in Midtown, I decided to show them that not everyone is as shitty as them and took it upon myself to teach them a lesson,” he says.

 

**flash_thompson: wtf 3 against 1??? why would u do that???**

 

“I know that fighting three people was a little risky of me but you can’t always just sit back and let things happen. I won’t be the person who ignores hatred because it isn’t aimed at me; that’s cowardly in my opinion.”

 

A wave of heart and thumbs up emojis appear on the screen and Steve can’t help but smile. Seeing his followers agreeing with his stance on things means a lot to him because he knows how many people think he’s an idiot for starting a fight he couldn’t win.

 

“I figured that I should let everyone know what’s going on because I don’t want any of you to think that I’m going around starting fights for no reason, you know?”

 

**TStark_Official: you literally start fights at least once a week you liar**

 

Steve snorts, “Get off my live Tony.”

 

**TStark_Official: you’re just upset that i won’t stream with you!**

 

**spiderpete: tony stark???!!!**

 

**miles_morales: calm down @spiderpete**

 

**spiderpete: but it’s tony stark tf!!!!**

 

**nadiapym: this is Steve’s stream fam**

 

**TStark_Official: Steve doesn’t have my star power anyway**

 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Steve says, “I think that’s where my live should end today. I’ll be back on Thursday for my usual new designer spotlight so please look out for that. Have a good day everyone!” he says and ends the live.

 

“Hey Jarvis, do you think that’ll be enough to hold everyone off?” he asks the AI.

 

“One would hope, sir,” Jarvis responds. The AI sounds very sarcastic, which must’ve been something Tony prided himself on making happen.

 

Despite Steve’s Instagram and online fame, sometimes it feels like Jarvis is the only one who actually cares enough to listen to him. Howard and Maria adopting him after his mother died saved his life completely, but it also lent him a fair share of loneliness. Every friend he’d had before her death either felt threatened by his adoptive family or wanted something from him because of it, so he learned how to deal with being alone. When he was moved to private school the other children knew that he’d been adopted, which made him a target for bullying no matter what he did. Any friendships he made didn’t last for very long because no one wanted to be bullied alongside him, which he understood but hated all the same.

 

Now that he’s older he’s found a good circle of friends, but having them around doesn’t necessarily keep the loneliness away. He’s gotten better at dealing with that though, which has helped him immensely, as have his friends whenever they can.

 

All of the fights he’s ever been in have had reasons behind them, which is something that not everyone knows or acknowledges. The last thing he wants is to come across as a spoiled brat who starts fights for attention or fun, but he knows that's what people think. It shouldn't really matter to him and yet it still does.

 

Now that he’s gotten his side of the story out he feels much better. That is, until he remembers that he’s about to star in the remake of The Bodyguard.

 

-

 

In order to not drive himself insane with worry and unhappiness, Steve decides to push his future bodyguard out of his mind and continue on with his life normally. He’s never been one to sit and stew on things that he can’t do anything about and he isn’t about to start now.

 

“So a bodyguard,” Sam says as he keeps pace beside Steve. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

 

Steve wipes his forehead with his shirt and pants, “It’s ridiculous and you know it.”

 

“It’s a little much but it’s coming from a good place.”

 

“Their concern is appreciated but I can handle this on my own. I highly doubt that Hammer is dumb enough to send anyone after me because I got into a fight with his goons.”

 

“Fair point, but if Howard and Maria are worried enough to actually hire a bodyguard you should probably be a little more wary,” he points out. “They’re not usually ones to overreact--well, Maria isn’t, anyway.”

 

One of the more annoying aspects of this situation is that Steve knows self-defense and Krav Maga, so he can handle himself. He hates the idea of his family thinking that he isn’t capable of defending himself or that he isn’t strong enough because of his size. It’s always been a sore point for him and this situation has only made it worse.

 

Sam stops running and puts his hand on Steve’s arm, making him stop. “How are you feeling about this? Besides being annoyed, I mean.”

 

It’s frightening how Sam can read him so well. The two of them have been best friends for years so Sam knows him better than anyone, plus he’s getting his master’s in social work to become a registered therapist. He’s skilled in his trade and just a very caring and attentive friend, which makes hiding things from him difficult.

 

“I’m okay; it’s just frustrating. I don’t know why they don’t think that I can take care of myself.”

 

“Honestly, I don’t think that they meant to make you feel bad, but I understand where you’re coming from. I’m sure that once they see that nothing’s going to happen they’ll send your bodyguard on his way.”

 

“Hopefully that’s the case,” Steve says. He takes a minute to shake himself out then smiles at Sam. “Wanna go get something to drink?”

 

“For sure--it’s your turn to pay this time!” Sam replies and runs off, not bothering to wait around for Steve.

 

“Damn you, Wilson!” he shouts and takes off after him.

 

Steve manages to catch up with Sam but Sam gets to the door first, making him the winner of their unofficial race. “You know my order,” he says and goes over to grab a table. Steve gets in line and takes his wallet out of the zipper pocket in his shorts.

 

The line isn’t too long but it moves slowly so by the time Steve gets to order there’s a group of people by the counter waiting for their drinks, none of whom are willing to move so he can navigate around them. He orders them both iced teas and gets a bagel for himself, then tries his hardest to move around the crowd.

 

“Excuse me,” he says repeatedly and gets no response whatsoever.

 

“Steve?” the barista calls out and Steve raises his hand to tell her that he’s still there. That’s when he sees someone grab his order.

 

“What the fu--”

 

“Steve?” the man asks, his voice rich and deep.

 

He’s not entirely proud of it, but Steve forgets his annoyance at the sight of the man. He’s basically the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He has the most stunning blue-grey eyes Steve’s ever seen, and a jawline that demands to be drawn. Broad shoulders, muscular arms hidden by a black button-down shirt, and long brown hair kept back in a bun. He’s smiling but it’s so close to a smirk that it makes Steve want to flirt.

 

“How’d you know?” he replies.

 

The man’s smile turns into a smirk fully. “Lucky guess.”

 

Steve smirks back at him. “I’m sure it was. Can I get my drinks?”

 

“Oh right,” he says as if he forgot and hands him the cups. He then looks Steve up and down, his eyes sparkling with interest, before meeting his eyes again. “Sorry, I was a little distracted.”

 

“Thanks for grabbing these for me. No one was willing to move out of the way even slightly,” he cuts his eyes to the still gathering crowd by the counter. “My friend is waiting for me so I better get going. Have a good one...?”

 

“James,” he replies. “You too, Steve.”

 

Steve feels James’ eyes on him as he walks away and smiles to himself. Normally he’d get the guy’s number, but he has a feeling that he’ll be seeing him again sometime, so teasing it is. Sam raises his eyebrows at him when he gets to the table. “Who was that?”

 

“Some guy who helped me grab our drinks,” he answers.

 

“You let someone _help_ you?”

 

“You make me sound ungrateful,” Steve complains with no punch. “Honestly, Sam.”

 

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with him being an attractive man, would it?” Sam knows him far too well.

 

He puts on a shocked expression and says, “I didn’t even notice that he was attractive! What would Riley say if he found out about this conversation?”

 

“He’d agree that you only accepted help without snapping because the guy was cute.”

 

“Oh shut up and drink your expensive iced coffee.”

 

“Did you get me a bagel too?”

 

-

 

On his way home from the cafe, Steve feels very uneasy. He isn’t normally one to be creeped out but it feels as though someone is watching him. It isn’t exactly rare for him to be noticed on the street but this is definitely different than that; no one has come up to him or even held their phone up to take a picture. He feels someone’s eyes on him and they’re obviously watching closely which he really doesn’t like.

 

He turns down a street that doesn’t lead him home but still keeps him in a rather crowded area. The last thing he wants is for this creep to actually end up following him home because he really isn’t in the mood to deal with that. He walks past the window of a shop and sneaks a peek behind him, stopping in shock when he sees who it is.

 

It’s James from the cafe.

 

“Fuck,” Steve hisses and starts walking again. He was so distracted by both the annoying crowd at the counter and how cute James was that he didn’t notice how odd it all was. Either James was a stalker or possibly worse, he worked for Hammer. Truthfully both situations put him in danger and he isn’t sure how to go about losing James without being too obvious about it. Steve starts walking again and makes sure to keep a normal pace instead of speeding up like his mind wants him to; the worst thing he can do right now is panic.

 

The weirdest thing about all of this is that James isn’t even really making an effort to keep himself out of sight. In all of the shop windows Steve looks behind him in James is only a few steps away, following the exact same path. It’s sort of alarming, almost like in a horror movie when the killer or monster walks at a slow pace because they know they’re going to get their victim.

 

Steve spots a group of people across the street and takes the opportunity to cross, merging in with the group when he gets to the other side. He pushes his way through the crowd after walking with them for a few minutes; when he looks behind him, James is gone. The relief he feels is so immense that all of the tension in his body dissipates. Even though James is gone Steve decides not to head back home yet just in case he was hiding and waiting for Steve to let his guard down.

 

After he’s confident that enough time has passed, he goes back home to his quiet little brownstone. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that James isn’t there even though he suspected as much. When he gets inside he’s quick to lock the door behind him and goes straight to the kitchen to grab some water.

 

“Hey Steve,” James says from behind him.

 

Steve stiffens but doesn’t scream like he wants to. He turns around and makes eye contact with a completely dead-eyed James. He looks nothing like he did at the cafe; physically he’s the same, but there’s no smirk, basically no emotion on his face or in his eyes. He looks every bit as dangerous as Steve realized on the way home.

 

“James,” Steve’s voice is surprisingly steady considering the rising panic inside him.

 

“You have little to no security here--two locks doesn’t equal security. Your windows are flimsy and can be pried open within minutes. The open floor plan down here makes defense nearly impossible, plus the door to the backyard is hardly a barricade.”

 

He’s so stunned that he’s speechless. What is he supposed to say to that?

 

“Your kitchen knives are dull and too far away on the counter to be of use if you need them immediately. I could grab your ankles through the floating staircase and the wood floors are too pristine. Everything in here is made for style and not for use.”

 

“Did you come in here to critique my design choices?” he snaps at James. “You’re a fucking stalker but instead of doing anything you’re just judging my house?”  


“A stalker?” James sounds surprised by that somehow. “I guess you’d think that, but that’s not what I am.”

 

“You followed me home and broke into my house, plus you knew my name at the cafe.”

 

“Which should’ve been a red flag for you instantly and yet it wasn’t,” James says. “You definitely do need a bodyguard.”

 

“Excuse me for not assuming everyone is a stalker! I thought I was being hit on by a cute guy at a cafe and not being tested by some asshole,” he growls. “I can’t believe--wait, _bodyguard_?”

 

James quirks his eyebrow and crosses his arms but didn’t say a word. His posture was enough to convey his sarcasm; _ding ding ding we have a winner!_

 

“You are not my bodyguard.”

 

“Were you really kept so in the dark about this?” James asks.

 

“Does it seem like I was completely prepared to meet you today?”

 

James sighs and goes to sit on one of the stools by the kitchen island. “Knowing Stark I’m not surprised that he decided to just spring this on you out of nowhere. In that case I can at least excuse you for some of the crap I’ve seen today.”

 

Steve rolls his eyes, “How generous of you.”

 

“On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday you go running with Sam Wilson then head to that same cafe. You get the same drinks and the occasional bagel every single time. Do you know how easy it would be to slip something into your drink or to simply track you?”

 

“I can honestly say that I’ve never thought about that.”

 

“So you have Hammer coming after you but you aren’t taking any precautions to protect yourself,” he deadpans. “Why don’t you just offer yourself to him on a platter? That would certainly make things even easier for him.”

 

“Is there a way to request a new bodyguard from your agency?” Steve asks sweetly.

 

“From what I’ve seen, you’re going to need a lot of help which you should get from the best person available.”

 

“And I guess you think you’re the best.”

 

A flicker of something passes through James’s eyes and Steve can’t tell what it is, but it’s certainly different than what the man’s been projecting thus far. He looks very distant all of a sudden. “I never said that, and yet I’m the one who was hired,” he replies coolly. “So someone must think so.”

 

“Look, James--”

 

“If we’re going to spend a lot of time together, just call me Bucky. No one calls me James.”

 

Steve’s eyebrows raise. “Bucky?”

 

He sticks his chin up like he’s waiting for Steve to mock him. “That’s what I said.”

 

“Okay, Bucky, this whole bodyguard thing is ridiculous and blown out of proportion. I got into a disagreement with Hammer’s people because they were being assholes; it’s over and done with. I don’t see why this is necessary.”

 

Bucky gives him a calculating look. He stares at Steve in silence for a minute before speaking. “I don’t believe that that’s all there is to the story.”

 

“What else would there be?” he asks, playing it cool. He really doesn’t like how Bucky is attempting to read him and getting things right. It’s aggravating to say the least.

 

“Hammer wouldn’t be after you just for getting in a fight with his staff. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

 

“I’ve told you everything you need to know,” Steve says. “If you’re going to be my bodyguard for the foreseeable future, you need to listen to me.”

 

“The only thing I have to do is protect you,” Bucky replies, his eyes narrowed. “Which I can’t do properly if I don’t have all the facts.”

 

“There is nothing left to know.”

 

Bucky simply stares at him, his stillness unnerving. Steve doesn’t consider himself a rude person but Bucky is testing him and he doesn’t want to rise to the bait, so he holds his head up high and walks out of the kitchen without a glance at Bucky. Much to his surprise, Bucky stays seated at the island and doesn’t follow him out. It’s then that Steve makes a decision; he’s going to be sweet as pie to Bucky and make sure that he knows how grateful he is to have such a wonderful bodyguard.

 

Why rise to the bait when he could be the bait?

 

-

 

From that point on, Bucky follows him everywhere. Despite the fact that Steve is photographed by paparazzi all the time, Bucky manages to conceal his face from every camera pointed at them, which makes the tabloids go crazy. They want to know exactly who Steve’s “mystery man” is and the more Bucky manages to avoid them the more they want the story. Steve caters to the cameras by posing more often and dressing even better than he usually does to draw attention to them just to get a rise out of Bucky, and yet he refuses to budge.

 

Sam takes notice of Steve’s behavior almost instantly. “Bucky’s a pretty nice guy,” he comments during their game night. Game night is them playing monopoly until Steve has a meltdown about capitalism and how unfair the game itself is, then they watch movies until they pass out.

 

“Yeah sure,” Steve says and rolls the dice. “When he’s not giving me the stink eye for doing something he deems dangerous.”

 

He can hear Bucky snort from his place on the couch and sighs in response.

 

“I just realized that talking about him like he’s not here is probably not good,” Sam says. “Hey Bucky, feel up to playing?”

 

“Thanks for the offer Sam, but I’m good,” Bucky replies. There’s something shockingly close to fondness in Bucky’s voice for a millisecond before it evens out. “I’d rather be out of the line of fire.”

 

“Some bodyguard you are,” Steve grumbles.

 

“Smart choice. Steve isn’t known for his sportsmanship when it comes to board games.”

 

“Somehow I’m not surprised,” Bucky says.

 

Steve clenches his teeth. “Roll the dice Sam.”

 

Sam grins and rolls the dice and gets to pass GO. Truth be told Steve isn’t really _that_ bad about losing; he just despises it like everyone else. All of his friends like to make a big deal about how competitive he can get but he considers it a normal level of competitiveness. He has a bunch of drama queens for friends, really.

 

Not even an hour later Steve, Sam, and Bucky are watching a movie because Sam decides that it’s time for the three of them to bond, which Steve knows is an excuse to quit because Sam was losing the game.

 

“The Bodyguard,” Bucky says, clearly trying to contain his amusement. “You’re a piece of work, Sam.”

 

“It’s a classic!” Sam exclaims. Even though Steve is a bit annoyed by it he can’t deny that it is pretty funny.

 

“Have any of your clients fallen in love with you, Bucky?” Steve asks sweetly. “Did they always love you?”

 

“Why? Are you worried about falling for me, Steve?”

 

“Oh yes,” he replies. “I’m barely containing my feelings for you. Every time I look at you it’s like my heart wants to jump from my chest and into your arms. Your soul, even.”

 

Sam bursts out laughing, almost wheezing. “I’m giving it a month,” he gasps. “Exactly one month.”

 

“For what?” Steve asks even though he knows exactly what Sam means. He’s starting to sound a lot like their friend Natasha who loves to try setting Steve up on dates. These dates never work out and so Steve has sworn them off, so of course Sam is trying to find a way around it.

 

But Bucky? They don’t even know each other! Steve looks over at Bucky and sees that he doesn’t look too thrilled at what Sam is implying which makes Steve get defensive. “You could do a lot worse,” he snaps at him.

 

“I didn’t say a word,” Bucky says, unbothered.

 

“Are all bodyguards this frustrating or is that just a bonus for me?”

 

Bucky settles back into the couch and crosses his arms. “Have you ever heard of projection?”

 

“I feel like I should separate you two,” Sam chimes in. “I don’t want this to be an actual fight we’re having.”

 

“We’re being perfectly cordial,” Steve says and puts his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky stiffens and even though Steve isn’t his biggest fan thus far, he’s not a jerk, so he moves his hand away. The last thing he wants is to make him uncomfortable despite their differences.

 

“The best of friends,” Bucky says and smiles tightly.

 

“This is going to go so smoothly,” Sam says. “I can just tell.”

 

-

 

Every third Thursday of the month Steve does a new designer spotlight on his Instagram. He promotes little known designers and smaller brands by showcasing his favourite pieces and telling his viewers where they could be found. Thursday rolls around and Steve chooses a designer who specializes in beautiful floral prints in various pieces; pants, shirts, socks, and other things.

 

Steve is trying to decide whether he wants to wear a black sunflower dress shirt or a silver turtleneck with ivy embroidered on it when Bucky walks in to watch him.

 

“The turtleneck is more unique,” Bucky says. He sits down out of the way of Steve’s camera, making sure he’s completely out of sight. “I think people would be more receptive to it.”

 

He holds the turtleneck out in front of him and nods. “Good choice.” Steve tries to hide his surprise. It’s shocking that Bucky would actually offer input without being snarky. “Do you think these pants go with it?” They’re flared out black trousers that will look good with the turtleneck but aren’t anything too much.

 

Bucky looks him up and down, “Are they by Flora too?”

 

“Yeah, but they’re not from the same collection.”

 

“They look good, and they’ll work with the turtleneck because having all black will make the piece stand out more.”

 

“I have a pair of ankle boots with the same ivy on them,” Steve says.

 

“Wear those then.”

 

Steve walks into the closet to change by the full length mirror. “I might have something that could fit you if you want,” he hollers from the closet. “I have a few sizes of their shirts for a giveaway.”

 

It takes a minute for Bucky to respond and when he does, he sounds kind of flustered, “Thanks but that’s alright. There’s definitely someone who wants it more than me.”

 

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he says and finishes getting dressed. He steps out and walks back to Bucky, showing off the completed look. “Good?”

 

Bucky looks at him in silence for a minute before nodding. “Yeah, you look good.”

 

“Thanks,” he says and smiles at him.

 

Bucky looks shocked but smiles back.

 

His Instagram lives are generally a very relaxed time because it’s just him and his fans, but today is not that kind of stream. As soon as he starts comments flood in and they all have a central theme: his “relationship.”

 

**spiderpete: who’s the guy you’ve been with??**

 

**nadiapym: his bf obviously**

 

**talos616: has anyone seen his face before**

 

Steve smiles tightly before starting on his usual speech. “Today on my fashion spotlight, we’re going to be talking about one of my personal favourite designers, Flora. Flora is a Japan-based company specializing in floral prints and embroidery. Everything that I’m wearing is designed by them, including my boots, which have been a staple in my closet ever since I bought them.”

 

**ttrishwalker: those boots are INCREDIBLE!!!!**

 

“Thank you ttrishwalker! These boots are from their Perennial collection, which is inspired by perennial plants and flowers, and so is the turtleneck I’m wearing.”

 

**blacksky: your fashion sense is exquisite**

 

**spiderpete: pls talk about your bf**

 

Bucky is sitting behind the stand that’s holding Steve’s phone so he’s completely out of sight but he can see the comments. He looks at Steve with his eyebrow raised and shrugs at him which doesn’t help him out at all.

 

**blacksky: @spiderpete silence this is about clothes but his relationship**

 

**spiderpete: :(**

 

“Please don’t fight,” Steve says and holds back a sigh. “Truthfully I wasn’t expecting to have to address this on my fashion spotlight but just to clear up any rumours regarding my personal life…” he looks to Bucky again and finds him just staring again, his expression neutral. “The man you’ve seen me with is my boyfriend.”

 

**spiderpete: omg**

 

**ned__leeds: sorry about your crush pete**

 

**spiderpete: SHUT UP @ned__leeds**

 

“His name is James and we’ve been together for about two months now, right James?” he asks, his voice fond.

 

Bucky glares at him. “Yeah, Stevie,” he replies and matches Steve’s tone despite looking at him angrily. “The best two months of my life.”

 

**theFalcon: you two are soooo cute!!**

 

 _Damn you Sam!_ He thinks. Of course this is the live that Sam chooses to watch. “Wanna come up here, love?”

 

“You know I’m not that big on being on camera, baby, but thank you anyway.”

 

Steve pouts at him, “Are you sure? I’d love to show off my handsome boyfriend.”

 

“Yes darling, I’m sure.”

 

**ttrishwalker: you should have him model some clothes for your next spotlight**

 

“What a great idea!” he says at the same time Bucky shakes his head. “I’ll have to talk to him about that sometime.”

 

 _‘Absolutely not,’_ Bucky mouths at him, but Steve chooses to ignore it.

 

“But now let’s get back to Flora.”

 

-

 

Something changes between them after the Instagram live. Bucky is a lot more animated and sassier; he matches whatever sass Steve gives him and isn’t afraid to mess around with him. It’s actually nice to have him around, but Steve can never forget that he’s his bodyguard because of Bucky’s clear dedication to protecting him.

 

“I’m going to train you,” Bucky says while they’re out having dinner. They’ve taken to doing couple activities in public so that the press can get their fill and not look too deeply into who Bucky is. So far it’s been working very well.

 

“I’m already trained.”

 

“You have a good foundation which I commend you for, but you need more than that.”

 

“What is ‘more’?” he asks, trying not to get defensive. He worked extremely hard to learn self-defense techniques and martial arts, so he doesn’t like his efforts being written off.

 

“Hand to hand combat, weapons training, stuff like that,” Bucky answers. He takes one of Steve’s dumplings with his chopsticks and points it at him. “We need to make you more alert and aware of your surroundings.”

 

“It’s not like I just walk around thinking that nothing can ever touch me,” he says and takes the dumpling back before Bucky can eat it. “I can handle myself, which is what I’ve been telling everyone since this whole Hammer thing happened,” he says and pops it in his mouth.

 

“I like your confidence, but it leads to mistakes. When we were on the subway on the way here there was a woman paying too much attention to us; she wasn’t being even remotely subtle and yet you didn’t notice when I pulled you along a little quicker.”

 

“Was she one of Hammer’s goons?”

 

“Paparazzi for sure,” Bucky replies. “But the point is that you didn’t notice that you were being watched very closely. If I hadn’t been with you and she worked for Hammer, you would’ve been completely unprepared for an attack.”

 

“Let’s say I had whatever training you’re talking about,” Steve starts, “and I noticed her. What would change about the situation? She would still attack me and I would still fight back, much like I would have if she did something today and I were alone. What would be the difference?”

 

“You would be able to take away any weapons she had on her and take her down quietly and efficiently.”

 

“I can do that now.”

 

Bucky picks up a knife off the table and points it at him. It’s a dull blade and it’s Bucky so he isn’t intimidated in the slightest. “I could do a lot of damage with this knife before you could take it from me.”

 

“Yeah right,” Steve says and snorts. “That’s basically a butter knife and was in plain sight.” He feels something pushing against his leg and stiffens, looking under the table to see Bucky holding a fork to his knee.

 

“I distracted you with the knife when you should’ve been worried about the fork,” he says. “You need to be more observant.”

 

“How many goddamn hands do you have?”

 

A waiter walks by just as he says this and looks at them oddly, so Bucky smirks at him. “I think you know, baby,” he murmurs.

 

Steve’s cheeks flush and he rolls his eyes. “Don’t get me worked up here, Buck. We’re here for dinner, not for dessert.”

 

Bucky’s smirk turns into a smile and he pulls the fork away, putting it back on the table. “You’re so much fun, Stevie. This is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

 

“You say that on every date we go on,” he says and smiles back at him.

 

“And I mean it every time,” Bucky replies. He’s incredibly good at faking sincerity; he really sounds like he’s enjoyed himself every time they go out, which is definitely good for appearances.

 

“You’re trouble, James Barnes.”

 

“You’re just scratching the surface,” he says and winks.

 

-

 

As soon as Tony gets wind of Steve having to train with Bucky, he immediately sets up a gym in the tower. He gets state of the art equipment according to what Bucky chooses and clears out an entire floor to give them enough room. Steve is actually pretty excited to get some more training because he’s always up for learning something new, but having to start at 6 AM isn’t his favourite thing.

 

When he gets to the gym floor, Bucky is already waiting for him. He looks more casual than Steve’s ever seen him; he’s wearing sweatpants, his hair is pulled back, and he has a black training tank top. What makes Steve stop a little before he catches himself is the sight of Bucky’s prosthetic arm; it’s clearly an advanced model because it looks nearly identical to his right arm, only made of sleek silver metal--it’s really quite beautiful. Steve meets Bucky’s eyes and finds an expectant look on his face, like he’s waiting for Steve to comment on his arm.

 

“I can’t believe you made me get up so early,” he says.

 

Bucky looks both surprised and relieved, which makes Steve a little sad. How many people have commented on his prosthetic and made him uncomfortable? Enough that Bucky hides it whenever he’s outside, obviously.

 

“Getting up early builds character,” Bucky replies smoothly. “We need to get an early start because I plan on running you into the ground.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Welcome to the Barnes School of Ass-Kicking!” Bucky shouts. “There is no time to slack off because it is life or death!”

 

Steve’s eyes widen, “What are we even working on today?”

 

“Since you already know martial arts and self-defense, we’ll work off of that and start on hand to hand combat without weapons for now. Basically I’m gonna kick your ass and see how you handle yourself.”

 

“My bodyguard isn’t supposed to kick my ass,” Steve points out, and puts his gym bag in the corner. “Just saying.”

 

“Then consider me your teacher instead of your bodyguard for the time being.”

 

“I don’t think teachers are supposed to either.”

 

Bucky sighs, “You’re stalling.”

 

Steve glares at him and gets on the mat where he’s standing, putting his fists up. “Do I actually get to hit you?”

 

The grin he gets in reply sends a thrill through him; it’s that predatory. “You can try.”

 

“I’m not gonna hold back.”

 

“Do your absolute worst, Stevie.”

 

Steve immediately goes into his krav maga techniques, striking at Bucky with a cross-body punch to the face. Bucky gets out of the way just in time and hits back with a straight punch; Steve dodges and grabs Bucky’s wrist, pushing his arm down and away. He goes into a leg sweep and manages to get Bucky’s legs out from under him, making him fall to the mats. He quickly climbs on top of him and pins Bucky’s hands above his head.

 

“You’re pretty good,” Bucky says and smiles at him. “Krav maga is difficult to master but you’ve clearly done your homework.”

 

Steve smiles back at him and tightens his thighs around Bucky’s hips. “I know how to handle myself, despite popular opinion.”

 

“I know that,” Bucky says. “I did my research before I met you and I knew what you could do.”

 

“When you showed up at my house you made it seem like I was helpless.”

 

“Your house is lacking in security, I never said you couldn’t fight.”

 

“You’re not as bad as I thought you were,” Steve says. “You were a real dick when we first met.”

 

Bucky’s cheeks flush and he breaks eye contact, surprising Steve a lot. They haven’t known each other for very long but Steve knows he isn’t exactly the shy type. “I was being professional.”

 

“You basically called me an idiot.”

 

“I would never say that,” Bucky protests and shifts underneath him. It’s only then that he realizes that he’s still very much on top of Bucky and holding onto his arms.

 

Steve quickly lets go of him and climbs off, feeling slightly flustered. That proves to be a mistake when Bucky catches him in a bear hug and pulls him tight to his chest. “Never let your emotions cloud your judgment,” Bucky whispers in his ear. “You turned your back on the enemy and gave up your position of power.”

 

“I was on you for like ten minutes!”

 

“And yet somehow I have the upper hand now.”

 

Steve twists sharply and gets his arm around Bucky’s shoulder, locking around his arm and twisting out the hold while he’s held there. “Did you really think that I don’t know how to break holds?”

 

“Just checking,” Bucky says and grabs onto Steve’s fingers with his other hand and pries them off. The strength of his prosthetic is easily five times the strength of Steve’s arm and he isn’t weak by any stretch of the imagination. “Always be aware of your opponent's advantages, Steve.”

 

He takes his opportunity and elbows Bucky in the stomach, not too hard but hard enough to stun, and jumps out the way. “Don’t get too cocky or you’ll make a mistake.”

 

“Look at you go,” Bucky sounds slightly winded from the elbow. “I must say I definitely approve of your training thus far. You’re skilled in weaponless hand to hand, so next is weapons training.”

 

“I don’t carry weapons,” Steve says, his voice flat. “I would never use a gun and carrying anything else is very obvious.”

 

Bucky bends down and yanks up the ankle of his sweatpants, revealing a sheathed knife wrapped around it.

 

“What the hell, Bucky! We were rolling around--one of us could’ve gotten seriously hurt!”

 

“If I had yanked it out and used it on you maybe, but it’s in a sheath so it’s totally safe.”

 

“That’s not true!” Steve yells. “It could easily slip out and fucking slice one of us!”

 

“I’m telling you it’s--” Bucky’s voice cuts off and he stiffens fully all of a sudden. He looks like a soldier standing at attention and it’s a little bit unnerving.

 

“Do you really think it’s safe to be training with that _arm_?” Howard says from behind them. “You’re being paid to protect him, not put him at risk.”

 

Steve knows Howard’s tendency to be abrupt, but he’s never heard him be so blatantly rude before. It’s borderline ableist and Steve is not going to allow that to fly. He turns around and crosses his arms, staring Howard straight in the eye. “You need to apologize now,” he says. “You can’t talk to him that way about his prosthetic and you know that.”

 

“It’s fine,” Bucky says through clenched teeth.

 

“It really isn’t,” Steve replies.

 

Howard quirks his eyebrow at Steve. “Barnes can speak for himself and he has.”

 

“If an employer treated their staff this way in a regular setting they’d be getting sued, and rightfully so. You have no right to treat him poorly.”

 

“Do you have a problem with how I’m treating you?” Howard asks Bucky.

 

Bucky’s reply is faint, “No.”

 

“No?”

 

“No, Mr. Stark, I don’t.”

 

Steve looks at him and sees a mask of indifference. He hasn’t seen Bucky look so stoic since they first met and he hates it because he knows that this isn’t Bucky. “Was there a reason you came here?” Steve asks Howard.

 

“I need to borrow Barnes for a while.”

  
“What do you need him for?”

 

“I’ll see you later Steve,” Bucky murmurs and walks past him, leaving the room with Howard.

 

There’s something very strange about the dynamic between Howard and Bucky. Bucky isn’t one to hold his tongue and be pushed around; even though Howard is his boss he would never allow anyone to talk to him like that. He can’t bring himself to sit back and let Howard treat Bucky that way--if he won’t defend himself, then Steve will.

 

-

 

After their gym encounter, Howard starts to take Bucky away more and more. He randomly appears whenever they’re training or even calls him when they’re out. It’s starting to cause a fuss in the tabloids because of how often Steve is left by himself suddenly; they’re calling it trouble in paradise. His Instagram is flooded with comments asking about their relationship constantly, which is incredibly frustrating given that Steve can’t do anything about it. He’s also come to realize that he feels weird whenever Bucky gets called away and he refuses to admit what that means.

 

Much to his surprise, Sam and Natasha have been enlisted in watching him whenever Bucky isn’t around. He would be annoyed but since the two of them are his closest friends besides Tony he doesn’t really mind. It is hard to hide his feelings from them, though, but he’ll try regardless of that.

 

It takes Natasha all of five minutes to figure him out. “You miss him,” she says and smirks at him.

 

“I do not,” he replies, flipping through TV channels instead of meeting her eyes.

 

“It’s been what, a day since you’ve actually spent more than five minutes with your beau?” she asks and grabs the TV remote off of him. She settles on a news channel and turns to look at him fully.

 

“He is not my ‘beau’.”

 

“The media thinks otherwise and I think you might too.”

 

Steve sighs and explains, “They all decided he was my boyfriend so we decided to just go with it so that it wouldn’t look weird if we were seen together often.” He chooses to leave out that he did it out of spite to annoy Bucky, because that’s not relevant.

 

She looks at him in silence, clearly trying to get a read on him. Natasha has always been incredibly perceptive and sometimes it can be a bit terrifying how accurate she is. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

 

“I know,” he says honestly.

 

“So if you have anything you’re hiding you can come right out with it and I won’t judge you.”

 

Before Steve can say anything, the news cuts to live footage of Times Square in chaos, people running away from a man dressed in black from head to toe. He’s wearing a mask and goggles that cover his entire face and his long hair obscures anything else that could possibly be identifiable. He has what looks to be a military grade gun and is walking through the crowd with a practiced ease.

 

“What the fuck?” Natasha gasps.

 

“Turn it up,” Steve says and she does.

 

 _“We are now live from Times Square where a terrorist attack is in progress by the masked vigilante known to the authorities as the Winter Soldier,”_ the anchor says. _“There have been two confirmed fatalities as of now; Senator Alexander Pierce and his assistant Brock Rumlow. Senator Pierce was on his scheduled press tour after being elected last month.”_

 

The Winter Soldier stops in the middle of the chaos and stands perfectly still for a second before throwing down what looks like a tear gas canister and disappearing. Steve sees a glint of metal before the smoke from the canister takes over the camera frame and his heart tightens because it reminds him of Bucky. He has no clue where Howard took him, so he doesn’t know if Bucky could be somewhere in Times Square trying to get out of the attack.

 

“Why have I never heard of this guy before?” he asks.

 

Natasha continues to stare at the screen, completely transfixed by the scene playing out. The entire encounter is being replayed alongside an interview with an on-site police officer. “Apparently there’s been two similar incidents in the past month. There aren’t any patterns to his killings which makes him even more dangerous.”

 

“How did no one catch him! There were tons of police officers there that could’ve stopped him before he threw the tear gas.”

 

“He was faster than he looked I guess,” she offers.

 

“Do you know if Sam was anywhere near Times Square today?”

 

“He’s in Brooklyn today so he’s fine,” Natasha says. “He’d text us if he were in the danger zone.”

 

Steve takes a deep breath to calm himself down a little. Now that he knows that Sam is okay, he can only think about Bucky. Sure Bucky can handle himself, he’s a trained professional, but that doesn’t mean that Steve isn’t scared for him.

 

“He’s fine, Steve,” Natasha reassures him without him having said a word. “I can’t imagine Stark would’ve taken him to Times Square for anything.”

 

“You’re right,” he says and nods. “Can we, umm, can we change this? I think they’re just going to play it over and over and we’ve already seen it.”

 

“Oh yeah sure,” she replies quickly and changes the channel to something else.

 

They spend about an hour watching a movie about teenage warlocks that Steve can barely focus on. He spends his time mainly trying to figure out where Bucky could be and watching the door for any sign of him coming back. When the movie is almost over the door opens and Steve gets up, running to it.

 

Bucky looks absolutely exhausted; he’s slightly hunched and his eyes are red rimmed. He looks so different than when Howard called him away earlier that morning.

 

Steve gasps, “What the hell, Bucky?”

 

Bucky smiles tiredly at him. “Hey Stevie, did ya miss me?”

 

“You look awful.”

 

“Thank you, darling,” he replies. “Can I come in?”

 

Steve steps aside and gives him room to walk in. Bucky locks the door behind him and shakes the doorknob to make sure it actually is locked. He seems a little out of it which is very concerning, so Steve walks behind him to make sure he doesn’t fall before he gets to the couch. Natasha moves over a little to give him some room and he all but flops down onto it.

 

“You look like a mess, Barnes,” Natasha tells him. “You have your boyfriend worried sick.”

 

Steve goes to snap at her but Bucky speaks first. “Sorry I worried you, babe.”

 

 _What the fuck?_ Bucky knows that Natasha is aware of the fact that they’re not actually dating, so why didn’t he say anything? He sounded very sincere in apologizing to him.

 

“What did Howard have you doing?” he asks instead of commenting on Bucky’s choice. “You’re clearly exhausted.”

 

“Paperwork and such,” Bucky replies. “Man is there a lot of paperwork to do when you’re working for Stark.”

 

For someone who appears so mysterious and aloof, Bucky is awful at lying.

 

“How about we’re honest with each other?” he asks. “You’re the one who told me you need to know everything to protect me, so it goes both ways.”

 

Despite how tired he is, Bucky glares at him. “You’ve got a lot of nerve asking me to tell you everything when you still won’t tell me what you’re hiding.”

 

 _Should’ve known better than that_ , Steve thinks. “Go take a nap in my room. Just looking at you is making me tired.”

 

“Aww, you sweet talker!” Bucky says and stands up. He walks over and plops a loud kiss on Steve’s forehead before staggering off upstairs.

 

Natasha looks at him with her eyebrows furrowed. “Something’s definitely not right here.”

 

“He’s keeping something from me.”

 

“Both of you are lying to each other,” she replies. “He’s a terrible liar and you’re not even trying.”

 

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” he tries his best to keep his voice even and calm even though he knows she’s on to him. “He doesn’t trust me very much.”

 

“If he didn’t trust you he wouldn’t be sleeping in your bed right now. Sleeping in someone’s home is a major sign of trust because you’re leaving yourself exposed.”

 

Steve bites his lip and doesn’t say anything because she’s right. Bucky would never leave himself unguarded unless he did trust Steve; it’s not in his nature.

 

“You should be honest with him and maybe he’ll be honest with you.”

 

Steve sighs, “How did you get to be so wise?”

 

She grins at him in reply, “I was born that way, Steven.”

 

Bucky wakes up after Natasha leaves and pads into the kitchen to sit at the island. He watches Steve cook dinner in silence: mashed potatoes, chicken and some salad, which he’s made enough of to share. “You’ve never asked about what I do before,” Bucky says suddenly. “Why today?”  


Steve doesn’t turn around when he answers, “I was worried about you.”

 

“You were?”

 

“There was an attack in Times Square,” he says. “I had no idea where you were so I was worried that you could’ve been caught in the crossfire.”

 

Bucky goes so silent that Steve does turn around to check that he’s still there. He is, and he’s looking at Steve with a mixture of surprise and fondness in his eyes. It makes Steve blush so he looks away to hide it.

 

“I wasn’t in any danger,” Bucky tells him. “I promise I wasn’t.”

 

“Where were you?”

 

“I was in the area but I wasn’t in the middle of it.”

 

Steve breathes deeply and feels the stress leave his body. Of course he knew Bucky was safe because he’s in the room with him, but knowing he wasn’t in any dangers finally soothes him. “You don’t need to tell me what Howard has you doing, but just be careful okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

 

“I will be.”

 

-

 

The next Instagram Live he does, he’s fully prepared for the onslaught of comments about Bucky. Now that they’ve gotten more comfortable around each other and built up trust between them, Bucky is more willing to be present in the stream.

 

“I have a special surprise for all of you on today’s fashion spotlight,” Steve says as soon as he’s settled. “We have been blessed by a guest model; please welcome James, my boyfriend!”

 

Bucky walks into the camera’s view and wraps his arms around Steve’s waist, leaning his chin on his shoulder. “Hey everyone,” he says and smiles.

 

**spiderpete: holy sh*t**

 

**spiderpete: you two are so handsome**

 

**spiderpete: I**

 

**ttrishwalker: you look good together**

 

“I’m lucky that Stevie gives me the time of day,” Bucky says.

 

Steve rolls his eyes and puts his hands over Bucky’s. “Look at you being so sweet to me.”

 

“I’m always sweet to you,” Bucky says and pouts.

 

“Oh hush,” Steve says and turns a little in Bucky’s arms so he can see his face. “You’re too cute Jamie,” he adds and kisses him. He realizes what he’s done a millisecond later and goes to pull away, but Bucky kisses back before he can.

 

They separate after what feels like forever and just stare at each other, both blushing brightly. Bucky bites his lip and steps away, breaking eye contact as he goes and staring at his feet.

 

**nadiapym: cutest couple goes to….**

 

**blacksky: yes cute but this is a fashion spotlight**

 

**nadiapym: let them be cute @blacksky**

 

**talos616: what a face**

 

“But umm,” Steve says and tries to get himself back on track. “The designer we’re focusing on today is based in Guatemala and specializes in varying textiles: Moda. James and I are going to be showcasing their newest collection that is based around natural silks.”

 

He has Bucky show an olive green silk and wool turtleneck as well as wool slacks. Steve tries his hardest not to acknowledge how good Bucky looks and instead focuses on talking about the pieces.

 

**blacksky: such beautiful pieces**

 

**ttrishwalker: I LOVE the olive green turtleneck**

 

**spiderpete: is there a place you can get them besides an online store?**

 

“Yes actually! They have a few small boutiques throughout the country and in Canada. Their main boutique is in Soho.”

 

Steve takes his turn showing what he’s wearing and then makes Bucky pose with him again. “Give us a spin, Stevie,” Bucky suggests.

 

He does a dramatic spin and Bucky whistles at him, “Look at you! Would it be inappropriate to say how gorgeous you look?”

 

“I’ll allow it.”

 

Bucky beams at him. “You look gorgeous, babe.”

 

Steve finds himself blushing again and he waves Bucky off. “So do you, sweetheart.”

 

“I’m one lucky man,” he replies smoothly. “I bet everyone’s jealous of me right now.”

 

**ned__leeds: @spiderpete sure is**

 

**spiderpete: oh my god shut up**

 

**theFalcon: I always knew you’d end up together <3**

 

“So did I,” Bucky says and sounds like he’s telling the truth.

 

Once the stream is over Steve posts a selfie of them together and it immediately gets a flood of likes and loving comments. “We look good together,” Bucky comments and walks away to get changed.

 

“I--yeah,” Steve replies even though Bucky’s left the room.

 

-

 

Bucky catches Steve’s fist between both hands just before it connects with his jaw. Steve uses it as a distraction to get Bucky’s feet out from under him with a quick leg sweep. Bucky falls to the mats and grins up at Steve. “Good job!”

 

“You really like when I knock you to the ground, huh?” he teases.

 

“I won’t lie; I do like someone who can take me down.” Bucky’s tone is flirtatious which has become pretty normal as of late.

 

“Good to know,” he says and offers Bucky his hand. He takes it and goes to pull Steve down but Steve plants his feet and pulls Bucky over instead.

 

Bucky gets his balance before Steve can flip him and laughs, “You really are learning!”

 

“Told you I could do it.”

 

“I believe you but it’s nice to see it in practice,” Bucky says. “Now let’s get hydrated.”

 

They take a seat on the mats after getting their water bottles and spend some time in silence. Bucky takes out his knife and starts playing with it on the floor, careful not to stab through the mat with it. Steve is transfixed by how gracefully he handles the knife even when he’s just playing; he sort of wants to see him in action.

 

Bucky says out of the blue, “You’ve never asked me how I lost my arm.”

 

Steve takes another drink of his water before replying, “It’s not really my business.”

 

“I’m glad you don’t pretend like my prosthetic doesn’t exist though,” he says and holds up his hand which is holding the knife. Steve can’t help but notice how the blade and his hand glint in the light. “That’s frustrating because it obviously does, but it also pisses me off when they stare at me for too long.”

 

“People can be such assholes,” Steve says. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”

 

“You don’t need to be sorry, you’ve done nothing wrong here,” he assures him. “I’m just surprised that you’ve never asked me about it.”

 

“Have your other employers asked?”

 

Bucky looks at his knife and sighs, “Mmm.”

 

“I get asked about my medical issues all the time,” Steve says. “Especially because of how active I am. People are surprised that I can do _anything,_ let alone be able to go running or learn self-defense. They all assume that I’m incapable of living my life just because of a few illnesses.”

 

“I learned how to fight again before I got my prosthetic. It was difficult, but my body remembered how to kick ass; I just had to adjust.”

 

“How long did it take you to adjust?”

 

“I didn’t have much time before I got fitted for one,” he replies. “I had just gotten comfortable with my skills and then I was given the arm,” he says. “It’s incredibly strong; I can lift almost my body weight with it.”

 

“Who made it?” he asks before he can stop himself.

 

Bucky slides his knife back into the sheath. “It was an experimental program that I was part of.”

 

Steve can feel tension seeping into Bucky’s body so he reaches over and takes his hand. Bucky seems surprised for a minute but quickly links their fingers and squeezes lightly.

 

“I almost died,” Bucky whispers. “A lot of people were killed by some guy with a machine gun and I stopped him, but it came with a price. I got shot really badly and I nearly bled out, but for my ‘bravery’ I lost an arm and was awarded a new one.”

 

“Do you regret doing it?”

 

“Absolutely not,” he answers immediately. “I would do it again if I could. I decided then that I would do good no matter what and help whoever I could.”

 

“Is that why you’re a bodyguard?” Steve asks.

 

Bucky takes a deep breath and nods instead of speaking.

 

“Well, it’s very noble of you,” Steve says. “Doing your best to help people after all that is really brave.”

 

“Sometimes it doesn’t work out the way I want it to,” Bucky says, his words dripping regret. “But I do try.”

 

“That’s what matters most.”

 

Bucky takes a deep breath and lies back on the mats, “I know you probably don’t consider me a friend--” he starts and Steve cuts him off.

 

“You’re my friend,” Steve says. “I was standoffish at first because I thought it was ridiculous that Howard thought I needed a bodyguard and you were kind of an ass,” he adds and nudges Bucky’s leg. “But you’re my friend now, Buck.”

 

“You’re my friend too,” Bucky replies.

 

“But what were you going to say?”

 

“I was just gonna tell you that you can tell me anything,” he says. “I’d never judge you or tell anyone if you didn’t want me to.”

 

The weight of the guilt he feels for hiding things from Bucky suddenly bears down on him all at once. He knows that he shouldn’t be keeping secrets from Bucky, both as his friend and as his bodyguard. It isn’t the best idea but he’s committed to it for this long so he can’t go back on it.

 

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve says and smiles. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He can almost feel Bucky’s disappointment and chooses to ignore it instead of addressing it. “Can you show me knife tricks now?”

 

“I thought you’d never ask.”

 

-

 

After all Steve’s posts on Instagram with Bucky in them, the media falls in love with their relationship and starts to follow them around more and more. They play it up without complaint and find a way to always be touching when in public; they hold hands, hug, lean into each other, and kiss whenever they can. Bucky also takes to wearing outfits Steve suggests for him that usually use a hat and scarf to obscure his face as much as possible.

 

The dates they go on are some of the best Steve’s ever been on. Steve finds different restaurants and diners to go to and Bucky suggests the activities, like rock climbing or going to an amusement park. They also attend fashion shows and different public events together to keep up appearances.

 

Even Steve knows that excuse is pretty weak because he’s enjoying spending time with Bucky. They’ve become close friends and Bucky is an important person in his life now, which is troubling because he knows that one day Bucky will move on to another job once the threat against Steve has passed.

 

He tries his hardest to ignore the impending loss but when they start playing up their “relationship” in public, it becomes incredibly difficult. They start kissing and holding hands regularly, so regularly that it’s become the new normal and they do it without even fully realizing it. Steve only realizes when he gets odd looks from Natasha, Sam, or Tony whenever it happens in private.

 

Bucky also comes over to Steve’s house whenever he’s finished doing something for Howard. He comes back looking exhausted and takes a nap on the couch, often resting his head on Steve’s thighs and letting him run his fingers through his hair. There’s something very domestic about it all, which neither of them will ever say anything about.

 

It’s very easy to live in their little bubble and forget what the purpose of them being together is.

 

-

 

They’re walking down through the park hand in hand when it happens. “You’re such a dumbass,” Steve says playfully and leans into Bucky’s side. “Pie over cake? I can’t believe this.”

 

“I can’t believe I’m dating a cake person!” Bucky exclaims. “I don’t know how long we can be together now.”

 

“Excuse me, you promised me forever, James Barnes.”

 

Bucky smiles softly at him and makes him blush. “Hmm, that’s right. Maybe we can move past this together.”

 

“I’ll have to think on that,” he says. “I mean, I don’t want a wedding pie,” he adds just to push his luck.

 

Bucky’s smile only widens. “We’re thinking about weddings now, babe?”

 

Before he can reply, someone rushes toward them and slices across Steve’s stomach. Steve yelps and jerks away, Bucky grabbing his arm and yanking Steve behind him. He quickly punches the assailant with his metal arm and knocks him flat, grabbing the knife with one hand and dragging the man to the tree line with the other.

 

Steve follows him, clutching at him stomach and feeling blood. He does his best to stop himself from panicking so that his heart doesn’t pump faster and walks over to where Bucky is. He finds Bucky pressing the man against a tree, his own knife against his throat and Bucky’s fist poised to strike.

 

“Who are you?” Bucky demands, voice cold and menacing.

 

“I know who you are,” is all he says.

 

“Did Hammer send you?” Bucky growls and presses the knife closer, cutting a faint line.

 

“Does he know who’s protecting him?” he asks.

 

“I’m giving you one more shot to answer me.”

 

“Fuck you,” the man replies and Bucky slams the hilt of the knife against the man’s temple, making him crumple against the tree trunk. He quickly checks for any identification on him and finds none, so he slices a chunk of hair from his head and slips it into his pocket then takes the man’s knife sheath to tuck the blade back into.

 

“Buck?” Steve asks and pulls his hand away from his stomach, seeing the blood covering it and feeling sick.

 

Bucky turns around and his eyes widen at the sight of him. He runs over to him and carefully lifts his shirt up so that he can see how bad it is. “It’s not deep but we need to get it cleaned,” he says and picks Steve up without warning.

 

“Put me down,” Steve hisses.

 

“No fucking way. We’re going to Tony and we’re going fast.”

 

“Seriously Bucky--”

 

“Please,” Bucky almost pleads. “Let me take care of you right now.” It’s the urgency in Bucky’s voice that makes him nod and hide his face against Bucky’s neck.

 

It doesn’t take long for Bucky to run him to Stark Tower and even less time to get him to Tony’s floor. He doesn’t know how but when they get to Tony he already has medical supplies ready and a white sheet over the couch.

 

“Bring him here,” Tony says and leads them to the couch.

 

Bucky is careful when he sets him down and helps Steve take his shirt off. There’s dried blood on his stomach but the cut has stopped bleeding which he’s thankful for.

 

“So obviously it’s a superficial wound; whoever the guy was didn’t get too far,” Tony says and takes out a sanitized wipe to clean off the blood. “Did you get a good look at him at least?”

 

“I got better,” Bucky replies. He takes out the sheathed knife and the chunk of hair from his pocket. “Got a baggie?”

 

“On the table,” Tony tells him without batting an eye. “Are you still with us, Steve?”

 

“I’m fine,” Steve says. “I don’t even need stitches.”

 

“You’re getting a big band-aid though!”

 

“He’s all right though?” Bucky asks. “No lasting damage?”

 

“How do you feel?” Tony asks him.

 

“I’m a little sore but not too bad. I’ve felt worse after flu season.”

 

“Don’t downplay your pain just because you can,” Bucky says. “We really need to know.”

 

Normally he’d be annoyed by Bucky’s insistence, but he can hear the fear and genuine concern in his voice. He sounds off kilter and Steve really isn’t used to seeing that from him.

 

“I’m really fine,” Steve assures him. “I wouldn’t lie about this.”

 

Bucky takes a deep breath, nodding to himself. “I just need to make sure you’re safe.”

 

“That is what a bodyguard is for,” Tony says as he tapes the bandage across Steve’s abdomen.

 

Bucky’s expression darkens and Steve knows exactly what he’s thinking; he thinks that he’s failed. A bodyguard’s entire job is to protect their client from any danger that could come from them and today Bucky didn’t recognize the danger immediately. Steve knows that it’s impossible to be vigilant every single second but naturally Bucky won’t see it the same way.

 

“I’m all right,” Steve promises. “It’s just a flesh wound and even so we’ll keep an eye on it, right Tony?”

 

“Right-o,” Tony replies and finishes taping him up. “Rest and lots of fluids for a week.”

 

“Okay,” Bucky says at the same time Steve rolls his eyes. “You need to rest for at least a day.”

 

“Really, Bucky?” Steve deadpans. “Really?”

 

Tony watches them with a smirk. “You’re all done here and I want to sleep, so please carry the patient to his room,” he says. “And before you complain, you’re staying here tonight because it’s safest.”

 

“You’re right,” he says instead of arguing. It really is the safest option because there is definitely a lot more security there and he knows it would ease Bucky’s mind. He moves to get up but Bucky jets over to him and picks him up without another thought.  “Thanks, Tony!” Steve calls over Bucky’s shoulder.

 

Tony does a little salute back at him and starts cleaning up.

 

The elevator ride to Steve’s floor is incredibly tense. Bucky holds onto him tightly yet carefully so not to hurt him, but clearly very protective. He’s practically radiating nervous energy and Steve wants nothing more than to make him feel better even though he doesn’t know how. The doors open up to the living room and Bucky doesn’t hesitate to bring him straight to the bedroom, lying him down in bed.

 

He starts pacing once Steve is settled in, unable to calm himself down. It’s breaking Steve’s heart a little bit because he can’t even begin to understand what Bucky must be thinking.

 

“Can you come over here?” Steve asks.

 

Bucky stops pacing and runs over to him, “What? What’s wrong--do you need something?”

 

“I need you to come lie down with me.”

 

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I want you here and you won’t hurt me,” he replies.

 

Bucky hesitates for a second before rounding the bed and lying down next to him. Steve immediately cuddles up to him and puts his head on Bucky’s chest, Bucky responding in kind by wrapping his arms around him. “You did everything you could,” he murmurs. “You protected me.”

 

“After he’d already slashed you.” Bucky’s voice is full of venom. “He could’ve fucking stabbed you fatally before I could stop him.”

 

“You reacted quickly and didn’t make a scene in the park which would’ve made things worse. You stopped him from hurting me too badly and got DNA samples as well as his knife; that’s more than I could’ve done by myself.”

 

“I just… I should’ve been watching more. If I had been watching carefully and focusing on protecting you, you wouldn’t have a goddamn knife wound.”

 

Steve moves slightly to look up at him. Bucky’s looks completely haunted; his eyes are dark and he looks pale, his brow is furrowed and he refuses to meet Steve’s eyes. Steve has never seen him look this way before; he decides right then that he will do his very best to keep that feeling away from him.

 

“The upside of all of this is that now whoever comes after me knows that we’re not just sitting ducks; we can take whatever they’ve got. But what happened happened and there’s no changing it,” he says. “All we can do is be more prepared in the future and move on.”

 

“I just--if he had just shifted the knife--” Bucky cuts himself off. “I could’ve lost you, okay? He could’ve fucking killed you if he struck a vital organ and there would’ve been nothing I could do! I’ve been getting too comfortable and forgetting that I am supposed to keep you safe!”

 

Steve sits up and turns to him. “Listen to me, Bucky Barnes: you didn’t and you won’t lose me. This is practically a papercut and I’ll heal in a day or two! I’m fine and I’m here with you, okay? I’m with you.”

 

Bucky whispers, “I can’t be the reason you get hurt. I _won’t_ be.”

 

“I trust you completely,” he replies.

 

The energy between them shifts and Bucky kisses him gently. It’s the slightest brush of his lips but the fact that they’re not acting for the public makes it all the sweeter. Steve presses into him and kisses him back. Bucky’s hand curls around the nape of Steve’s neck and he pulls him closer, trading slow kisses between them.

 

Steve’s breathless when they part; his cheeks are flushed and he can’t help but smile. Bucky smiles back at him and moves his hand away from the back of his neck to his cheek.

 

“I’m gonna sleep here tonight,” Bucky says. “Just to make sure you’re all right.”

 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

 

-

 

Because Bucky acted so quickly and quietly, the media don’t pick up on what happened. Pictures of Bucky carrying him circulate on Instagram, but the way Bucky held him combined with the darkness and the speed he was moving at made it impossible to see that he was bleeding. Every time Bucky sees a picture from that night he stiffens up and refuses to say a word about it, clicking away as fast as he can.

 

Their kiss changes surprisingly little between them, but not nothing. Knowing Bucky, Steve wasn’t expecting much change in their dynamic, so he’s pleasantly surprised by the changes that do happen. Their casual affection becomes anything but casual; they’re practically attached at the hip now because it’s so much more comfortable. Neither one of them care enough to be shy around each other anymore, which makes everyday things all the more fun.

 

Bucky insists on Steve staying up for three days after the attack; he rationalizes it by saying that the enemy knows Steve is weakened now so they could and would strike again. In return for Steve’s agreement, Bucky has to let him have free rein on what they do for the time being.

 

“You’re pulling too hard!” Bucky says and wrenches away from Steve.

 

“Don’t be such a baby!”

 

“I thought you were braiding my hair, not trying to rip it out piece by piece!”

 

Steve rolls his eyes and pulls Bucky back into position. “I wasn’t even pulling hard! But if you’re gonna complain about it I’ll practice a gentler touch.”

 

“This better look good,” he grumbles. “My scalp is bleeding for this crap.”

 

“I’m an expert at braiding so of course it’s gonna look good.” He watched various tutorials preparing for this very moment which means he knows what he’s doing.

 

“You’re posting this on Instagram aren’t you,” Bucky says.

 

Steve is glad Bucky’s not facing him because he can’t see the pleased smile on his face. “I never said that.”

 

“You think you’re so cute.”

 

“You think I am too,” he sasses back.

 

Bucky leans his head back so that he can see his face and winks, which is unsettling but also very endearing. “You’re more than cute, baby,” he replies smoothly.

 

“Smooth talker,” Steve says and forces himself not to blush. He isn’t normally the blushing type yet somehow Bucky constantly makes him. “If you keep your head like that you’re gonna wreck all my hard work.”

 

He rolls his eyes and gets back into position. “Can you give me your phone or something?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because staring at the wall isn’t really doing all that much for me.”

 

Steve passes his phone over with an exaggerated sigh. Bucky immediately unlocks it and starts snooping around, going through everything to try and find something incriminating. “Your phone isn’t that interesting, Stevie.”

 

“Did you really think I’d give it to you if I had things to hide?”

 

“Normally I’d be annoyed but I have to hand it to you--very smart move.”

 

“Not just a hat rack,” he replies and tugs on Bucky’s hair a little.

 

“I complimented you and you tried to rip my hair out,” Bucky whines.

 

“Flattery will get you nowhere, James Barnes.”

 

The braid Steve’s chosen is a fishtail braid, which is difficult but not unachievable with Bucky’s hair length and the endless amount of time they have. Steve gets lost in the process of it because he wants it to look perfect; he keeps a firm hold of Bucky’s hair and focuses on getting everything just so. Bucky finds something to occupy him on the phone so he keeps still for the most part which makes things easier.

 

 _“After a brazen mid-morning robbery at Midland Circle yesterday, police are asking for any information regarding the masked vigilante known as the Winter Soldier. Three people were killed in the shootout and an unknown amount of funds were stolen,”_ says a news broadcast playing from Steve’s phone.

 

“They’re--They’re always blaming the Winter Soldier for everything. Any type of crisis that happens is blamed on him no matter what happens; no one man could do all of that,” Bucky says vehemently.

 

“I saw the footage of him in Times Square… I’m not really sure what he’s capable of, but I agree that he can’t be the only evil in the state.”

 

“You think he’s evil?” Bucky asks. Something in his voice is distant and off kilter.

 

“I can’t say that he’s _evil,_ but the things he does aren’t exactly good.”

 

“No one can know what goes on behind the scenes. It can’t be easy for him to go around protecting everyone and then getting hunted down for doing his part.”

 

“He murders people, Buck,” Steve says. “Murder can rarely be justified.”

 

“The people he kills aren’t exactly angels!”

 

“He killed a senator and his assistant.”

 

“Senator Pierce was waist-deep in illegal business! A man in his position could have done far more harm than the Winter Soldier can.”

 

“That’s not how the system works,” Steve points out. “There are police and judges and juries and all sorts of people who could’ve put him behind bars.”

 

“People like that never see jail time because they hold all the goddamn cards!” Bucky shouts and pulls away from Steve, getting to his feet. “The law doesn’t solve every problem and nothing is black and white!”

 

“Do not yell at me,” Steve growls. “What the hell is your problem?”

 

“Everyone judges this guy for what he does but no one wants to admit that he actually does good for the community. He takes care of the people that the police won’t touch or willfully ignore and makes the city safer but he’s not a hero, he’s a vigilante at best and a terrorist at worst.”

 

Bucky shakes his head, his braid starting to come loose.

 

“Do you think he does this for fun? It can’t be fun for him to be forced to do these dark things and get hated for it.”

 

“Forced?” Steve asks, confused. “Why do you think he’s forced to do this?”

 

“No one wants to live a life like that,” Bucky says and rubs his hand across his face. He sits back down on the floor in front of Steve and hangs his head, the loose strands of hair from his braid falling in front of his face.

 

The two of them sit in silence for what feels like forever. Bucky is the first to break the silence by handing Steve his dented phone and whispering, “I’m sorry I crushed your phone.” The absolute heartbreak in his voice is what makes Steve a little less angry.

 

“It’s just a phone,” he says and puts it down on the couch beside him. “Tony can probably fix it.”

 

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Bucky adds, just as heartbroken. “I shouldn’t have done that because you didn’t deserve it.”

 

“What's going on?” he asks. “I've never seen you so upset.”

 

“It's just… it can't be easy for him to be doing his best to protect people and being hated for it, then getting blamed for everything ever.”

 

Steve takes a deep breath and lets his anger flow out of him, calming himself. He will never let Bucky yell at him again but he understands that it was in the heat of the moment so he can forgive him.

 

“I guess I haven't looked at it from his perspective,” Steve admits. “If his motives are as good as you make them sound then I do feel bad for him; he doesn't have a very easy life.”

 

“Who does at this point,” Bucky says with a sigh. “I'm sorry for blowing up like that; it won't happen again.”

 

“You can tell me anything. Buck. You don't need to hide your feelings from me, but just don't yell at me, okay?”

 

“Okay,” he agrees and nods. “Do you want to redo my braid?”

 

Steve smiles. “I did really want to post it on Instagram.”

 

“I’m game.”

 

Steve knows that it’s because he feels bad, but Bucky is the perfect client. He sits completely still and lets Steve do as he pleases, even letting him put flower pins in the braid. “Say cheese,” he says when he’s finished and has his phone ready.

 

“Cheese,” Bucky says and holds up a peace sign.

 

“Everyone’s gonna be so jealous of you,” Steve says after he posts it.

 

“I know; not everyone gets to have a doting boyfriend to braid their hair.”

 

“Don’t you forget that, Bucky Barnes!”

 

Bucky turns to face him and smiles shyly at him, surprising him. The softness in his eyes makes Steve’s heart race a little bit. “How could I?”

 

Steve leans down and kisses him softly. “What a sweet boyfriend you are,” he murmurs. “I think I’ll keep you.”

 

Bucky turns around fully and kisses him again, biting at his lower lip. “Good,” he replies. “Because I don’t plan on leaving.”

 

-

 

Day three of his bedrest starts with a terrifying wake-up call from none other than Howard himself. He walks into Steve’s bedroom and turns on the lights at their highest level, waking the both of them up.

 

“Is this what I’m paying you for?” Howard asks, his tone venomous. “I thought you were here to protect Steve, not get him stabbed and sleep with him.”

 

Steve sits straight up and glares at him. “You can’t talk to him that way! You may have hired him but he is not some punching bag for you to hurl insults at.”

 

“It’s fine,” Bucky says, getting out of bed. He stands at attention with his shoulders straight and entire energy tense. “What do you want?”

 

“Meet me in the garage. I need a moment to talk with Steve,” Howard answers. “Now.”

 

“Bucky--”

 

“I’ll see you later, Steve,” Bucky replies without looking at him, and walks off.

 

Howard waits until the elevator dings before he starts speaking. “You’re getting too attached to Barnes,” he says. “We both know that this isn’t going to last; he’s here until the threat against you is over.”

 

“I’m allowed to be friends with him,” Steve says. “I’m not going to be an ass to him and treat him as less than because he’s my bodyguard.”

 

Howard cuts his eyes at him before responding, “Keeping him at a distance is the best way to go about this.”

 

“We’re going to continue being friends after all of this is over.”

 

“I know you think I’m being a tyrant, but you need to listen to me about this. You’re setting yourself up for hurt on this one.”

 

“Could you show some of this care to him, please? I appreciate that you care about my feelings, I really do, but I need you to treat him better. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like crap just because he’s your employee.”

 

Howard sighs, “There are things that you don’t understand and that I can’t tell you about this whole situation. It would change your opinion about him.”

 

“You can’t just say that and expect me to not want to know.”

 

“I’m doing what’s best for you and I need you to trust me on that,” Howard says. “How are you feeling? Tony told me he’s been checking on you and making sure you’re healing properly.”

 

Steve nearly smiles at that because Tony hasn’t checked on him in the slightest. They’ve talked through intercom once or twice but that was only so that Tony could tease him about Bucky.

 

“I feel completely fine, it’s barely more than a paper cut.”

 

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Howard replies. “I’ll get out of your hair now,” he adds and walks out of the room.

 

When he hears the elevator ding he gets up out of bed and takes the stairs up to Tony’s workshop. Steve uses the fingerprint scanner to get inside and manages to sneak up on Tony due to how loud it is. Tony is working on his “secret” iron suit so he’s far too focused to notice him.

 

“Tony!” he shouts and grabs Tony by the shoulders.

 

Tony yelps and throws the screwdriver he’s holding across the room. “What the hell, Steve!”

 

“Good morning, sunshine,” he replies and lets go of him. “How are you doing today?”

 

“So Mr. Stark took your Bucky.”

 

“Can’t I come visit my brother in his lab anymore?”

 

“You’re full of shit and you know it,” Tony says and spins around in his chair to face Steve. “What is it that you need?”

 

“I’m offended that you think--”

 

“I am a very busy man, Steve-o, and my time is incredibly valuable. State your business or hit the road.”

 

Steve rolls his eyes at him. “That sample Bucky got for you--what did you do with it?”

 

“Ran tests on it,” he says. “DNA and the like.”

 

“Did you get any matches?”

 

“Yeah; the guy is Jack Rollins; he’s been booked a dozen times by the NYPD. His crimes range from aggravated assault to armed robbery, but somehow he hasn’t ever gotten any jail time because he’s been bailed out by some mysterious backer.”

 

“So he’s with Hammer.”

 

Tony nods. “But we already knew that. What we didn’t know is that after a quick search of his name in a not-so regulated database, I found out that he’s worked at Stark Industries.”

 

“Stark Industries.”

 

“Yup, Howard’s child and the company after which the lovely tower we’re sitting in is named.”

 

“How did a dangerous criminal work for Stark Industries? They have some serious background checks that employees have to go through,” Steve says.

 

“Could’ve been an oversight in the system but I highly doubt that. I’m assuming that someone pulled some strings and got him on the inside before he was fired, where Hammer picked him up,” Tony suggests. “Jack Rollins was buddy-buddy with Brock Rumlow.”

 

“The assistant killed in the Winter Soldier attack.”

 

“Bingo. Basically we have some kind of big conspiracy happening; Hammer has friends in high places and wants something from Stark Industries. Considering the whole battling tech companies thing, it’s probably insider information he’s after.”

 

“Do you think Howard knows about this?” Steve asks.

 

“He’s the one who fired Rollins.”

 

“What the hell is going on?”

 

“Something fishy clearly, but I can’t say I’m surprised. When it comes to the business world there’s nothing but shady activity.”

 

Steve rubs his hand across his face, completely annoyed. He’d much prefer if things were straightforward and Hammer was just after money, but that isn’t the case. He decides to open up to Tony about his encounter with Howard this morning. “Howard said something about me not knowing things about Bucky. It was very cloak and dagger and it’s bothering me.”

 

“You think Bucky has something to do with this?” he asks.

 

“I don’t think he’s part of the shady dealings but he’s under Howard’s thumb completely. He gets called away randomly and comes back exhausted, and he lets Howard treat him like shit.”

 

“Howard treats everyone like shit,” Tony mutters. “But Bucky isn’t the type to be walked all over.”

 

“I want to know what they’re hiding.”

 

“You’re hiding something too, aren’t you?” Tony asks.

 

“Why would you think that?”

 

“You want to know their secret so you can work around it and keep your own. I know how all of this works.”

 

He despises that everyone can somehow tell that he’s keeping things from them because it makes it more difficult to continue on. Sometimes he loses sight of why he’s even keeping things to himself; he’s starting to question whether or not this is the right choice.

 

“Can you help me try to piece this together?” he asks instead of commenting on Tony’s accusation.

 

“I’ll do what I can, especially if it involves hacking into so-called secure databases.”

 

“Thank you Tony,” he says and looks around the workshop. He intends to keep his promise of not leaving the Tower but without Bucky around it seems a lot less fun.

 

“Anything else?” Tony asks after a minute of him standing there silently.

 

“If you’re done working on your top secret project, do you want to be on my Instagram live?” Steve asks and regrets it immediately.

 

Tony’s eyes light up menacingly. “I thought you’d never ask!”

 

Tony completely takes over the stream and it quickly turns from a fashion spotlight to Tony’s spotlight. Steve would be annoyed but it’s been a while since he’s seen Tony acting so care free so he’s okay with it.

 

“I feel like my presence has enriched this stream,” Tony says. “I have brought life into this project and now it is officially a success.”

 

“Thank you for that Tony,” Steve says from behind the camera. “You really have been an asset to this live.”

 

“I just have a vast wealth of knowledge and I am able to model incredibly. If I weren’t so brainy I’d be a model,” he replies. He walks as far away from the camera as he can and struts back toward it.

 

“Just look at those moves!” Steve exclaims. “How have no modelling agencies come to scout you?”

 

“Honestly I have no clue.” Tony continues to model his outfit and Steve zooms in on his face as much as possible, chuckling to himself. “What’s so funny?”

 

“You are just lovely.”

 

A series of comments come through all at once, but they’re not attached to a username.

 

**Finally something worth seeing.**

 

**You’re both so secure in your ivory tower, aren’t you?**

 

**Without your boyfriend to protect you you’re all alone.**

 

**Seeing the two of you acting like such fools is sickening. You will soon pay for the sins of your father.**

 

Steve fumbles to shut down the stream and nearly throws his tablet away out of fear. He knows exactly who sent those and it messes with him terribly, because now he knows he’s really being watched.

 

“What’s wrong?” Tony asks, clearly confused.

 

Steve takes a deep breath and a second to compose himself before responding, “I think there’s something I should tell you.”

 

-

 

As soon as Bucky arrives back at the Tower, Steve and Tony are on him. They’ve been sitting in Steve’s living room in tense silence waiting for him to come back. He looks exhausted but that immediately shifts to concern once he gets a look at Steve. “What’s going on?” Bucky asks.

 

“Steve-o here got some pretty cryptic comments on his Instagram Live,” Tony answers. “So he’s going to tell us what the hell is going on.”

 

Bucky crosses the room to grab Steve in his arms and hug him. Steve sighs, pressing into him as much as he can. “You’ve been hiding something big, haven’t you?” Bucky asks him.

 

“I wouldn’t say ‘big’.”

 

“It’s big,” Tony says. “I think you should sit down.”

 

They all sit down in the living room, Steve sitting in his own armchair instead of on the couch with Bucky. He needs space to be able to admit that he’s been hiding something that’s important and not be distracted with how much he wants Bucky close. He doesn’t know how he’ll react either, which is slightly terrifying.

 

“I got into the fight with Hammer’s guys because they were following me and making threats. It started out as them mocking me and my Instagram influence, which was frustrating, but it didn’t matter much. But then they started talking about Tony,” he says. “They said that Tony was going to pay for what Howard did and I thought it was shit until they mentioned Ivan Vanko.”

 

“Ivan Vanko,” Bucky repeats. “As in the Ivan Vanko who’s already made a play for Tony.”

 

Tony raises his hand. “The very one!”

 

“I didn’t know if they were being honest but I couldn’t let it slide either way. I turned around and told them to stop talking shit and to leave my family alone, which obviously went well.”

 

“How did you even find out that they were from Hammer?”

 

“Hammer was kind enough to release a statement saying that I attacked his staff. He’s always trying to start controversy between us and him so he got what he wanted, and I got put on his hit list.”

 

“Vanko’s been in prison for years,” Tony says. “That’s what we thought anyway. Upon further investigation it turns out that he’s been listed as missing for quite some time now.”

 

“What does he want with you?” Bucky asks Tony.

 

Tony’s expression darkens, “His father was a physicist and his life was ruined by something that Howard did. Vanko has been after me as a way to punish him but the guy’s an idiot--Howard wouldn’t give a shit if something happened to me.”

 

“Tony…” Steve starts but Tony shakes his head.

 

“It’s clear that the cryptic comments were from him, so now we know that he’s coming. Steve knows too much about this and is going to be collateral damage in his quest to get to me.”

 

“I’m not letting him get to either of you,” Bucky says. “He doesn’t know what the hell he’s messing with and I’d like to see him try.”

 

“What is he messing with, exactly?” Steve asks.

 

Bucky looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

 

“Why do you let Howard treat you so badly?”

 

“What does that have to do with this?”

 

“I know he must have something on you,” Steve says. “It’s important that I know what it is now so that we don’t have any secrets between us.”

 

Bucky rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I… Howard helped me out of a tough spot and now I’m working for him. I owe him.”

 

He knows that Bucky’s lying, maybe not completely but he’s not telling the full truth. “You can tell me anything.”

 

Bucky smiles weakly and nods at him. “I appreciate that, Stevie.”

 

“As much as I love seeing your bond, we need to do something about this. Obviously Vanko is ready to strike again and he’s after Steve now too which is great,” Tony says. “I know you’re an excellent bodyguard who’s very committed to your job but we have to have a plan.”

 

“If he makes a move, I’ll kill him,” Bucky says simply. “I won’t let him get to either of you.”

 

Steve’s eyes widen in shock and he feels the color drain out of his face. “Kill him,” he repeats.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, isn’t that something,” Tony says. He sounds just as shocked as Steve feels. “I guess it’s as simple as that then.”

 

Bucky seems to realize his mistake and fumbles to fix it. “If there’s no other way then that’s what I’ll do,” he says. “I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”

 

“You’re willing to kill him that easily?” Steve asks. “That’s murder, Bucky!”

 

“Sometimes there’s no other option,” he replies. “If I need to do it to protect you then I will; that’s my job and my choice.”

 

“I don’t want you killing people for us.”

 

Tony pipes up, “I don’t think I’d mind too much.”

 

“Tony.”

 

“If Vanko comes to kill us then of course I want Mr. Barnes here to take him out before then. It’s good sense.”

 

“I’m just trying to protect you,” Bucky says. “I’m willing to do what I need to do if it means protecting you.”

 

“I feel very loved right now,” Tony says. “Thank you very much, Bucky! Really, your love means so much to me.”

 

“I think I need some air,” Steve murmurs.

 

“Steve, it’s not safe for you to leave,” Bucky says.

 

“I’m just going on the balcony for a minute,” he replies and walks away before Bucky can say anything else. He walks to the balcony as quickly as he can without turning into a full run, and gasps when the cool air hits him.

 

The idea that Bucky is willing to kill for them is quite frightening. He came up with the plan to kill Vanko in seconds, and didn’t go back on it. The more he thinks about it, the more freaked out he gets, because more weird instances like this come to mind: Bucky’s defense of the Winter Soldier, Howard’s odd cryptic warning, the various times Howard has called on Bucky with no warning, and Bucky readily accepting Howard treating him badly because he owes him something.

 

Steve breathes heavily and tries to make sense of everything all at once. He can only come to one conclusion and he knows it’s crazy, it doesn’t make sense and it couldn’t possibly be true; Bucky is the Winter Soldier. Bucky, the man he’s come to care about and might even love, couldn’t be a dangerous vigilante.

 

Could he?

 

-

 

None of them talk about Vanko after that, but once he’s confident that Steve isn’t hurt anymore Bucky doubles up on weapons training and even includes Tony in his ‘classes.’ Tony takes to it surprisingly quickly but shows very little interest in general. “I’m more of a brains over brawn type,” Tony says as he flops down on the mats after their training session is done.

 

“Unless your suit is ready, you need to know how to fight,” Bucky says.

 

Tony’s cheeks flush. “Why does everyone think I’m building a suit?”

 

“You’re not exactly subtle about it,” Steve says. “I can hear you working from two floors away.”

 

“I have been fixing phone screens!”

 

“Since when does fixing a phone screen require power tools?”

 

Bucky looks at the two of them, clearly unimpressed. “Hey Steve?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Think fast,” he says and runs at him. Steve is quick to respond; he grabs the plastic practice knife off of the floor and throws it at him. Bucky blocks the knife with his prosthetic and it bounces off, hitting the floor, then tackles Steve to the ground. “Good tactic,” he says and smirks at him.

 

Bucky’s choice to stay on top of him makes Steve’s heart race. It’s been a few days since they’ve been this close to each other because Steve has been sort of avoiding being physical with him. Now that they’re pressed this close together and he can feel how warm Bucky is, he’s having a hard time remembering why he did that.

 

“Is this an efficient way to subdue your enemy?”

 

“You’d be surprised by how often this works.”

 

Jealousy roars to life inside him and he fights to keep it from showing. “You do this a lot?” he asks, voice low and dangerous.

 

“Steve--”

 

Tony clears his throat to get their attention. “I’ve had enough training to last a lifetime and I absolutely don’t want to see you two going at it.”

 

“We’re not--” Steve starts at the same time Bucky says, “See you later.”

 

Tony practically runs out of the room and slams the door shut behind him, leaving them alone together.

 

“What’s been going on?” Bucky asks. “You’ve been distant and aggressive for days now.”

 

“Nothing’s going on.”

 

“I thought we already learned that keeping secrets from each other isn’t the best course of action,” Bucky says.

 

It makes Steve angry to say the least. Bucky having the audacity to say that when he’s still not coming clean about his own secret is frustrating and too much to deal with silently. Steve pushes Bucky off him and stands up to put distance between them.

 

“You can’t say a thing about keeping secrets when you’re still hiding shit from me,” Steve says.

 

“I’m not keeping anything from you.”

 

“Could you just be honest with me? I know it's hypocritical coming from me, but you can trust me with anything.”

 

He looks away from him, unable to meet Steve’s eyes as he speaks. “I… it’s not a big deal okay? You don’t have to worry about me.”

 

“I know I don’t have to do anything, but I care about you, Bucky,” he says softly. “If something’s wrong I want to know about it so that I can try to help fix it.”

 

“This isn’t something that can be fixed.”

 

Steve walks over to him but Bucky still doesn’t look at him. “Let me at least try.”

 

“I wish I could,” Bucky says with a humourless chuckle. “You don’t know how much I do.”

 

“What’s stopping you?”

 

“I care about you too much to bring you into this.”

 

Steve sighs, “That isn’t an excuse, Buck. I don’t need to be protected from you.”

 

“It wasn’t meant to be one; I don’t want you mixed up in my shit. Can you please just drop it?”

 

They both know Steve isn’t the type to just drop something, especially something so big. He’s had enough of everyone being so cryptic and if Bucky won’t tell him then he’ll have to find out some other way. “Fine,” he says.

 

Bucky finally looks at him and his expression is one of exhaustion and resignation. He knows that Steve is lying but doesn’t say another word to dissuade him.

 

Things are tense between them after they leave the gym. They go back to Steve’s floor and decide to watch a movie, but neither of them are focusing on it. It’s difficult to think of anything other than the electric current flowing between them.

 

“I’m gonna go to bed,” Bucky mumbles. “G’night, Steve.”

 

“Hey, Buck?” Steve asks.

 

“Hmm?”

 

He takes Bucky’s hand and pulls him in for a brief yet tender kiss. “Sleep well.”

 

Bucky smiles shyly and ducks his head to hide it. As he leaves, Steve decides then and there that no matter what Bucky’s secret is, he won’t let it tear them apart. He cares too deeply about Bucky to imagine his life without him in it now.

 

-

 

The next time Howard calls Bucky away, Steve jumps into action and goes to find Tony immediately. He’s working on something when he gets there but as soon as he sees Steve he puts everything down and asks, “Ready to rock?”

 

“Yup,” he replies. “We need to be quick though because they were on their way to the garage last time I checked.”

 

“Howard doesn’t keep his car here,” Tony says and grabs a briefcase off of the table in front of him. “So as soon as he was driven in I took the liberty of creating a malfunction that will make it impossible for him to leave until I let him out. Lockdown procedure and all that.”

 

Sometimes he’s just so impressed by Tony’s wits that he can’t help but smile at him. He does as much and Tony narrows his eyes. “What’s that face about?” he asks.

 

“Can’t I smile at my own brother anymore?”

 

“It looks like someone put a coat hanger in your mouth and pulled it.”

 

“You’re such an asshole,” Steve replies and heads to the elevator. “How are we getting out without them seeing us following them?”

 

“Tracker on the car,” Tony says. “We don’t need to be right behind them immediately because we’ll know where they are regardless.”

 

“Should I be concerned about how you got a tracker on the car when Howard doesn’t leave it here?”

 

“There are many tricks in the world of espionage, Steven. I personally have studied vast amounts of information that will help us in our quest,” he says. “Plus for someone who works in security, Howard really doesn’t pay a scratch of attention to his own.”

 

“His loss is our gain.”

 

Tony fixes the malfunction just before the elevator reaches the basement so that Howard and Bucky can leave before they hear the elevator ding. The garage door is just sliding shut and locking back down when they get to Tony’s car of choice, an unassuming black SUV. Steve slips into the driver’s seat and realizes that everything in the car has been decked out with Tony’s technology and other design choices.

 

“You really know how to decorate,” Steve says dryly. “It looks great in here.”

 

“Get to driving; they’re heading south.”

 

“Where do you think they’re going?” he asks and pulls out of the garage.

 

Tony locks it down behind them and they drive off in the same direction that Howard and Bucky are going in. They work together to follow them from a safe distance with Tony instructing Steve where to go and Steve driving as carefully as he can despite how nervous he is. He’s anxious  about how Bucky will react if he finds out that Steve tailed him; he definitely isn’t going to be happy about it and Steve doesn’t really want to deal with that.

 

“They’re stopping at a Hammer Industries warehouse in the middle of nowhere,” Tony says, confused. “Why would they do that?”

 

“I genuinely have no idea. Seems very weird.”

 

“They’re walking into a confrontation, that’s for sure. I hope they know what’s going to happen if they get caught.”

 

Steve sighs, “They’re not being very careful at all.”

 

“I told you that Howard really doesn’t take his own safety seriously so of course he doesn’t take Bucky’s seriously either,” Tony sounds incredibly angry by this and the force behind his words surprises Steve. “He better not fuck up and get Bucky hurt.”

 

“Even if they walk into a fight Bucky knows how to take care of himself,” he says and tries to convince himself that it’s true. Considering Hammer is working with Vanko and manufactures weaponry, there’s no telling what could be waiting for them. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

 

“I’m sure you’re right.” Tony doesn’t seem very convinced.

 

Steve pulls up a few blocks away from the warehouse and they get out, deciding to walk the rest of the way so that they can remain more inconspicuous. Tony brings his suitcase with them and they make it to the warehouse in five minutes, just in time to see the Winter Soldier storming inside.

 

“Holy shit,” Steve whispers.

 

“So that’s a thing that just happened,” Tony replies. “I must admit I don’t know what to think right now.”

 

Steve is speechless and can’t think of anything to say. His suspicion was confirmed true and now he has no idea what to do about it. He knows that he isn’t going to be able to hide that he knows for very long. There’s no avoiding that this is going to cause a problem between them and it’s the last thing he wants, but they need to talk about this.

 

The sound of gunshots ring out from inside of the warehouse and the two of them jump back a little. “Holy shit, he’s killing people,” Tony gasps. “Coming here was probably a bad idea.”

 

“Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.”

 

“We need to get out of here now.”

 

“We can’t,” Steve blurts. “We need to see this out.”

 

Tony gapes at him. “Honestly Steve, I appreciate your curiosity and bravery but there is no way in hell we’re going to die here because you want to know everything.”

 

“We’re not going to die.”

 

“Yeah because the Winter Soldier is definitely going to keep fucking witnesses alive.”

 

“It’s Bucky!” he hisses. “He isn’t going to kill us!”

 

Tony exhales sharply and puts his hand on his forehead, “I was afraid that you’d actually say that because now I have to address it. That is not our friend Bucky right now; he’s in Winter Soldier mode or something and I don’t think he’ll be very happy to see us here.”

 

“We have to make sure he’s okay.”

 

More gunshots come from inside the warehouse and he sees bright flashes through some of the windows. It looks like there are lights breaking and electric sparks bursting inside.

 

“Shit!” Steve exclaims. “Who knows how many people are in there? He could’ve walked into an ambush!”

 

“He’s fine!”

 

The front doors of the warehouse burst open and Bucky comes out. He’s covered in dust and blood and smoke is coming off of his uniform. He’s dragging something behind him that it takes Steve a minute to realize that it’s a body.

 

“That’s Vanko, isn’t it?” Tony whispers. Neither one of them can look away from what’s happening because of how insane it really is.

 

“It--it can’t have been that easy. Vanko wouldn’t let himself be caught like that.”

 

“Did you not hear the chaos happening in there?” Tony asks. “It sounded like a goddamn war zone and we didn’t even see it!”

 

“I don’t think it’s him!”

 

Bucky throws whoever it is onto the ground in front of Howard’s car and points his gun at them. Seeing the mask on his face and the gun in his hand is sobering; Bucky is a dangerous man and there’s no ignoring that.

 

“We need to get the hell out of here before we become witnesses to murder,” Tony says and grabs Steve by the arm. “I think we’ve definitely seen enough.”

 

As much as Steve wants to know what happens, he has to admit that Tony has a good point. It’s better and safer to walk away now before anything else happens.

 

“Okay,” Steve says. “Okay we’ll leave.”

 

“Finally!” Tony exclaims and they run off just as they hear the gunshot.

 

-

 

Steve decides to go back to his house instead of back to the Tower. He locks every lock that he has and hides away in his room, locking that door as well. There’s a feeling of being out of control and unsafe plaguing him, and all he wants to do is get in bed and forget about what he’s seen. Truth be told, he’d love it if Bucky were there with him and not out there putting himself in danger.

 

He gets into bed and covers himself up from head to toe, trying to seal out the world for now. He’s worried about Bucky and upset about the entire situation, but there’s nothing he can do about it now. As much as he wants to go to sleep his thoughts are keeping him up and he can’t close his eyes for more than a few minutes at a time. He spends the next few hours in agony wondering if Bucky’s okay and is only rescued by Bucky calling him.

 

“Hello?” He cringes at how rough his voice sounds when he answers.

 

“I’m outside your place,” Bucky says. “I tried the key but you put every lock on.”

 

“I’ll come let you in.”

 

“Are you okay?” The concern in Bucky’s voice makes Steve’s heart squeeze.

 

“I’ll see you in a sec,” he replies and hangs up. Getting out of bed is surprisingly difficult and he finds himself stumbling to the front door. He’s feeling incredibly exhausted and even going through the motions of unlocking the door is a lot.

 

Bucky looks just as tired as he feels but also worried. “Tony told me you weren’t feeling great.”

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired,” he replies. “Long day.”

 

“I was gonna suggest some training today but I think we both deserve a break.” Bucky walks into the kitchen and drops the reusable bags he was holding onto the counter. “Let’s watch a movie or something and turn in early.”

 

“Howard’s finally done with you?” he asks, and regrets it immediately.

 

Bucky looks slightly wounded and it takes him a second to respond. “You make it sound like I’m a toy or something the two of you are sharing.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“I think you did,” Bucky says quietly. “What’s going on with you?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“You’re upset about something and you’re struggling not to take it out on me, so tell me what it is. I want you to feel better but I’m not gonna let you treat me badly.”

 

Steve sighs, “I’m sorry, Buck. I just… I’m not feeling great today and I’ve been worried about you.”

 

“Why would you be worried about me?”

 

 _Because I know what you’ve been doing for Howard and how dangerous it is,_ he thinks, but of course he doesn’t say that. He wants to confront Bucky about what he’s seen, but there’s no way to do that without revealing that he followed him.

 

“Howard’s running you ragged,” Steve replies. “I can see how tired you are and it’s not good for you.”

 

The way Bucky’s looking at him tells him that he doesn’t believe a word he’s saying. He supposes that’s fair given how he’s been acting in the short time they’ve been together today.

 

“It’s no excuse to be rude to you and so I’m sorry for that,” he says. “I really am.”

 

“It’s okay,” Bucky says. “Just don’t do it again, yeah? I don’t want to fight with you.”

 

“I won’t,” he promises. “Can we watch something now?”

 

“Go sit on the couch and pick something out, I’m making stew.”

 

“Stew?”

 

“Yup. It’s gonna take a few hours but it’s not like we don’t have time.”

 

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

 

Bucky smiles at him. “I guess there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

 

“You know, I’m starting to believe that,” Steve jokes and walks over to him, kissing him on the cheek. “What a mysterious boyfriend I have.”

 

“I’ve heard that a little mystery keeps the spark alive.”

 

“Where did you hear that?”

 

“I’ve heard it,” Bucky says. “I have my sources.”

 

“Mmm, okay, darling,” Steve says. He walks into the living room and turns on the tv, looking through his library of movies and shows. He settles on his favourite cheesy movie about olympic gymnasts that is guaranteed to make him feel better at least for a time.

 

“I need to get some bread or something to go along with the stew,” Bucky says from the kitchen. “I knew I was forgetting something at the store.”

 

“I can’t believe you went and bought everything to make stew for me,” Steve comments. “Honestly Buck, you keep surprising me.”

 

“I figured that you were sick and stew is good for healing,” he replies. “Plus it’s been a while since I’ve actually cooked something and I don’t want to forget my skills.”

 

“How’d you learn to cook?”

 

“My ma and grandma taught me everything they knew,” Bucky tells him. “I have a whole book of family recipes that’s under lock and key; it’s a priceless heirloom full of the Barnes family secrets.”

 

“If you want to make sure that you don’t lose your touch, you could always cook for me all the time,” Steve offers. “I wouldn’t mind taste-testing some Barnes family recipes.”

 

“If you’re good I’ll make you some lasagna.”

 

“What does good really mean?”

 

“Don’t get into any fights, allow me to keep you safe, eat all of your stew, that sort of thing.”

 

“I guess I can do that, so long as the lasagna is really good.”

 

Bucky gasps, “How dare you ever think that my lasagna would be bad!”

 

“I didn’t say it would be bad!”

 

“You implied it, which is almost worse,” he says and sniffs. “I can’t believe my own boyfriend doubts my skills.”

 

Steve smiles at his petulant tone and gets off of the couch, walking into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Bucky’s waist. He presses his face against Bucky’s back and says, “I’m sorry, baby; you know I wanna eat your lasagna.”

 

“Mmm, okay,” Bucky murmurs. “I’ll let it slide this time but I’ll still prove you wrong when you taste the majesty that is my lasagna.”

 

“I’m sure you will.”

 

Instead of going to sit on the couch while they wait for the stew to cook, Steve grabs a pack of cards and they sit at the kitchen island trying to see who can make a higher house of cards. They both have a deck to use and aren’t really above sabotaging each other. So far Steve has ‘sneezed’ and knocked Bucky’s house down three times and Bucky has had quite a few hand cramps that knocked Steve’s house down twice.

 

“I’m on two floors, baby,” Steve says. “And you’re still on the ground floor.”

 

“A solid foundation is what’s most important.”

 

“I’m sure that’s exactly why you’re taking so long.”

 

Bucky rolls his eyes and reaches for a card, flicking the bottom of Steve’s house and making it sway as he goes.

 

“You really have to stoop to dirty tricks to win,” Steve says and sighs. “It’s so sad.”

 

“Oh what trash talk! I am shocked, Steven!” he replies. He starts on the second floor of his house and keeps his hands incredibly steady. “Construction on the second floor has started.”

 

“You’re a disaster!”

 

“You’re so jealous of me,” Bucky gasps. “It’s so sad.”

 

“Oh yes I’m sick with jealousy,” Steve replies. “It’s such a terrible thing to feel.”

 

“You can feel me instead if it’ll make you feel better.”

 

Steve’s eyebrow raises, “Are you coming onto me?”

 

Bucky bites his lip and doesn’t look up from his cards. “I mean I haven’t yet but I’d like to.”

 

“You’re so smooth, Mr. Barnes!” Steve exclaims. “I’m practically swooning from it.”

 

“I try,” Bucky says. A timer goes off behind him and he’s quick to go check on the stew.

 

It finally dawns on him as he sees Bucky looking so at home in the kitchen; he’s in love with Bucky.

 

The rest of their night is spent eating stew and watching movies like they planned, but Steve can’t stop thinking of his feelings for Bucky. Finally coming to terms with being in love with Bucky shouldn’t change things between them, but for Steve it’s a huge thing. He’s never been in love before and he has no idea if Bucky feels the same way. This could completely ruin everything and he’s not ready to lose him like that.

 

As the sun goes down the room gets darker and Bucky lifts his arm for Steve to slip under. He smiles, settling against Bucky’s side and curling up next to him. Something about being held by him calms the storm wreaking havoc inside his chest.

 

“Hey, Bucky?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You’re the best boyfriend,” he says.

 

Bucky kisses the top of his head and holds onto him a little bit tighter in response.

 

-

 

“I’m in love with Bucky,” Steve says.

 

Sam takes a long drink of his iced coffee and stares blankly at him, completely unsurprised. It’s no shock that Sam figured it out before Steve did because he’s incredibly perceptive.

 

“Come on, Sam,” he says. “I need your help.”

 

“What do you need my help with?” Sam asks.

 

“What the hell do I do about this?”

 

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Sam replies. “You’ve just gotta live with it.”

 

Steve sighs heavily. “I can’t be in love with him.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because he works for Howard and when his job is done he’s going to leave,” he tells him. _That and the fact that he’s the Winter Soldier_ , he thinks.

 

Sam’s expression softens and he leans forward a little as he speaks, “Do you really think he’s going to leave you?”

 

“I wouldn’t stick around if I didn’t have a reason to.”

 

“Trust me when I tell you this: there’s no way Bucky is going to leave you just because he doesn’t need to be your bodyguard anymore. I’ve seen the way he looks at you--he likes you just as much as you like him.”

 

Steve doesn’t want to hope that that’s true because if it isn’t, he’s guaranteed to be crushed. The idea of Bucky wanting to stay and having feelings for him seems far out of the realm of possibility. He isn’t often self-conscious, but this entire situation is brand new for him. It’s difficult to see past his own fears when it comes to his relationship with Bucky.

 

“Even if he does like me, there’s no hope for us.”

 

“Why?” Sam asks.

 

“Because it would be wrong; there’s a power dynamic thing going on--”

 

“That’s crap,” Sam says. “You know you can tell me what’s really going on here, right?”

 

“I know,” Steve murmurs. “It’s just… there’s a lot that wouldn’t work. Sometimes the person you want isn’t right for you and you have to make peace with it before you’re in too deep.”

 

“If that’s how you really feel,” Sam says despite them both knowing that it isn’t.

 

It starts to rain when they leave the cafe so Steve makes a run for home. He ends up soaking wet by the time he gets home and he’s shivering badly. Bucky opens the door before he can even get his keys out and stares at him in shock.

 

“Jesus,” Bucky gasps, stepping back so Steve can get inside. “You’re gonna catch pneumonia or something!”

 

“It wasn’t supposed to rain today,” Steve says, teeth chattering slightly.

 

“You really need to get out of those clothes and into something warmer,” Bucky says and starts trying to help Steve out of his clothes.

 

Steve jerks back in surprise, “I can undress myself!”

 

Bucky blushes and puts his hands down. “Sorry. You should go change now so you don’t get sick.”

 

“I will,” he replies, his voice calmer. “I’ll be right back.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Steve rushes off to the bedroom to get undressed and finds a sweater of Bucky’s on the bed. He ignores it and goes to the bathroom, grabbing a towel to dry himself off a bit. Once he’s dry enough he walks into the bedroom again and looks at Bucky’s sweater for a minute before deciding to take it. It’s incredibly warm and he feels all of the stress from the conversation he had with Sam melt away; something about wearing Bucky’s sweater makes him feel completely safe and at home.

 

“I’m so screwed,” he mutters and heads back to the living room.

 

Bucky’s just setting down a mug on the coffee table when he gets there. There’s also a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it, much to his surprise. “Did you bake that?” Steve asks.

 

“Mmm hmm,” he replies and sits down on the couch. “That’s also some hot chocolate to help you warm up.”

 

He’s not even remotely cold anymore but he won’t say a word about it. This entire scene is so domestic; Bucky baking for him and then sitting on the couch to drink hot chocolate together. It makes his heart ache in the best way.

 

“Thanks, Buck,” he says and smiles at him.

 

Bucky looks incredibly pleased with himself when he smiles back. “There’s a show about an assassin on, wanna watch it?”

 

“Sure,” he agrees and settles down beside him. Bucky leans forward to grab Steve’s hot chocolate and hands it to him.

 

“Drink up, I don’t want you getting sick.”

 

Steve takes it from him and smiles, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a worry wart?”

 

Bucky sighs, “I haven’t really had anyone to worry about in a long time.”

 

Something inside of Steve squeezes painfully in response. Was Bucky alone before they met or did he just feel alone? Maybe he lost someone important to him; he mentioned his family before but only briefly. “I worry about you too,” Steve admits.

 

Bucky turns to look at him, his expression one of surprise. “You do?”

 

“Of course I do,” he replies. “You mean a lot to me and I want the best for you.”

 

The smile he gets in response is blindingly beautiful. Bucky practically lights up with it; he radiates happiness and pleasure all of a sudden. Steve isn’t unfamiliar with how gorgeous Bucky is, but right then he looks absolutely incredible.

 

“I got lucky with you,” Bucky says. “I’ve never had such a good boyfriend.”

 

“Mmm hmm,” is all he can think of to say.

 

“You can be so cute sometimes, Stevie,” Bucky says and kisses him softly.

 

When he pulls away Steve is a little breathless and in awe of him. There’s no denying that he loves Bucky and this moment proves it; he can’t deny his feelings for him, not anymore. Steve puts his hot chocolate down and pulls Bucky in for another kiss, deeper this time. Bucky responds immediately and kisses back, his body arching into Steve’s almost desperately.

 

There’s something different about tonight, something charged between them that’s begging to be explored. Steve slides his fingers through Bucky’s hair and uses it to pull him as close as he can, Bucky moaning softly in response.

 

Steve pulls away to murmur, “I like you so much, Buck. I want you so much.”

 

Bucky’s cheeks are flushed and his eyes are heavily lidded. “I’m already yours.”

 

It’s difficult to make it to the bedroom when neither of them are willing to part for very long. Steve ends up having to pull Bucky along by the hand, the desire to be with him almost unbearably strong. They finally reach the bedroom and Steve leads him inside, pressing Bucky against the wall and slipping his hands under Bucky’s shirt, feeling his muscles and how soft his skin is.

 

Bucky starts getting tense when Steve pushes up his shirt so he stops and pulls back a little. “Too fast?” he asks.

 

“No it’s just… it’s been a while.”

 

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

“I want to,” Bucky replies. “I’ve wanted to for--I just don’t usually let people this close. It takes a lot of trust.”

 

“Do you trust me?”

 

Bucky nods. “More than anyone.”

 

“So let me take care of you, Bucky,” he murmurs. “That’s all I want.”

 

Bucky’s eyes widen and he stares at him, clearly trying to work out the situation in his mind. The last thing Steve wants is for Bucky to be tactical right now; he wants him to let loose and trust that Steve will make him feel good. It takes a minute, but Bucky’s expression softens and Steve sees the change in him as the tension and apprehension leave him.

 

“I trust you, Steve,” Bucky says softly. He can hear what Bucky doesn’t say: _I trust you, Steve, so don’t make me regret it._

 

-

 

Bucky’s body is a work of art, every inch of him is beautiful and even with no clothes on he exudes power; Steve is in awe of him. Bucky is the beautiful man lying naked in bed and staring at him with such want--it makes him feel like he’s on fire in the best way.

 

“You’re so beautiful,” Steve says. “Look at you baby.”

 

Bucky blushes and Steve watches it travel down his neck then his chest. Steve can’t resist the urge to follow it with his mouth; he straddles him and kisses from his chest, up his neck, and lands on his lips.

 

They kiss slowly and deeply, their bodies pressed close and tight. Bucky licks into Steve’s mouth and reaches a hand down to grab Steve's ass, making him groan. Although they're as close as could be, Steve presses harder still.

 

Their kisses are like dripping honey, molten lava, the tide rolling in over already damp sand. The world ceases to exist around them, time slowing down to accommodate the depth of their want. Planets could fall down from the sky and mountains could crumble to nothing but rocks and ash, yet they wouldn't notice. Existence itself has narrowed down to the space around their tightly wound bodies.

 

Steve can feel Bucky’s cock hardening between them and slides one of his hands between them to stroke him. Bucky moans lowly and rocks his hips into Steve’s touch, but Steve tightens his thighs around Bucky’s hips to stop him from moving too much.

 

“Stay there, Buck,” Steve murmurs and nips at Bucky’s lower lip. “Be patient.”

 

“Steve--”

 

“S’okay,” he says. “Trust me, baby.”

 

“I do,” Bucky pants. The earnestness in his voice makes Steve’s heart pound because the fact that Bucky actually trusts him means the world to him. He never wants to hurt him or make him regret that.

 

Steve rewards him by sliding down his body, kissing every patch of skin he comes in contact with, and taking Bucky’s cock into his mouth. Bucky’s breath comes out in an almost pained gasp and he’s rock hard between Steve’s lips. Normally he’d tease and go slow, but that’s not the goal here; he wants to give Bucky pleasure and help him get completely relaxed, so he doesn’t waste any time.

 

He grips Bucky’s thighs hard enough to leave red marks and bobs his head fast, sucking and licking him as he goes. He takes Bucky’s cock all the way into his throat, barely avoiding choking on him, but it feels so good.

 

“God,” Bucky moans. “Y-You’re amazing.”

 

If Steve could smile right then he definitely would. He digs his fingers into Bucky’s thighs even harder before slipping one hand down and sliding it slowly between his cheeks. Bucky reacts like he’s been electrocuted and he thrusts into Steve’s mouth, coming in thick bursts. Steve groans and swallows as much as he can, letting the rest leak out as he pulls off. He licks his lips and watches Bucky trying to catch his breath.

 

“Are you gonna fuck me?” Bucky asks, breathless. His eyes are dark and his skin is glistening with sweat; he looks ethereal and dangerous.

 

Steve wants him immensely.

 

“Is that what you want, Bucky?” he asks. His voice is rough from taking Bucky so deep and the sound of it makes Bucky growl faintly. “Ask me for it.”

 

He expects Bucky to snap back at him but instead Bucky spreads his legs and draws Steve’s attention to his ass. “Fuck me, Stevie,” Bucky all but purrs. This is a completely different side of him that’s irresistible and unashamed. “Come on, baby, I need you to.”

 

Steve groans, “I really didn’t expect this from you but it’s hot as hell.”

 

Bucky beams at him. “Then get to it.”

 

Seeing Bucky so carefree and just enjoying himself makes Steve a little lightheaded. There are so many different sides to Bucky that he's clearly the only one allowed to see--it's very humbling. There are lube and an unopened pack of condoms in his dresser and he has a hard time tearing himself away from Bucky for enough time to get them. All he wants is to be wrapped up in him; his entire being is narrowed down to this, to them.

 

He loves Bucky so much more than he can ever say, than he will ever say, and although he can't tell him, he hopes his body will be able to. Every caress is dripping with love and adoration; he drinks in every inch of Bucky's body and leaves marks in his wake. He wants Bucky to remember this moment, to remember how good Steve made him feel should they ever part.

 

"Oh Bucky," he gasps as he finally slides into him. "You feel so good, baby."

 

Bucky's hands slide down Steve's back to grip his ass, clinging to him desperately. "Steve,” he moans. “Fuck me hard.”

 

Steve can’t deny him anything right then. His thrusts are deep and fast, his body screaming for more of Bucky with every single one. Bucky’s hands roam the length of Steve’s back, his nails and the smooth metal of his prosthetic fingers digging in wherever they can. He hopes that they leave marks; he wants to wear Bucky’s marks as badges of honor and proof that Bucky wants him just as much.

 

Much to his surprise, Bucky suddenly grabs Steve’s hair and pulls. “You’re mine.” Bucky’s voice is nearly a growl.

 

He moans and nods in response, unable to speak past the tidal wave of want building up inside of him. Bucky tightens around him and he fucks him faster, his hips never stopping. “Uh, uh,” he groans. “B-Bucky…”

 

“I want you s-so much,” Bucky murmurs. “Wanted you for so long. You’re so amazing, Stevie and you’re mine.”

 

“Yours,” Steve replies as best he can. He knows his voice is wrecked but he can’t do anything about it; he’s overwhelmed with emotion. Bucky is so much more than he ever expected, and to be able to see all of him both physically and emotionally is mindblowing.

 

He can feel himself reaching the peak, the need to come almost painful. “I’m gonna come,” Steve tells him.

 

“Come for me, baby,” Bucky croons. “Wanna feel you, Stevie.”

 

Steve thrusts once, twice more and slams his hips against Bucky, coming deep inside of him. He falls flat on top of Bucky and Bucky wraps his arms around him, stroking his back. They both take a minute to lie there together, just listening to each other breathe in silence.

 

“Be my real boyfriend,” Bucky says. “Please?”

 

He smiles and presses his face against Bucky’s sweat-slick chest, “Hmm… I’ll need some time to think this over.” He pulls out of Bucky and carefully takes the condom off, tying it.

 

“You have until you throw that condom out or the offer is permanently revoked.”

 

“I mean, I don’t wanna be rude by saying no,” he replies and Bucky hits him with a pillow.

 

-

 

“As you can tell, things have been a bit busy for me lately,” Steve says to the camera. “So I haven’t had a lot of time to do my fashion spotlights, which I’m so sorry for. Sometimes life really gets in the way of the things I want to do and it sucks but I’m going to do what I can to provide you all with some good content.”

 

“You’re doing amazing, baby!” Bucky hollers from the other side of the gym. “Absolutely amazing.”

 

Steve smiles and rolls his eyes playfully, “Thank you darling,” he replies before continuing. “I have a bit of time today so James and I will be showing you our workout routine.”

 

**nadiapym: @spiderpete it’s starting!!**

 

**ned__leeds: can’t wait for this**

 

**blacksky: this will definitely be quite the show**

 

Bucky walks into view of the camera and shows off his workout wear; Steve did a bit of online shopping and chose some yoga pants and a tight one-sleeved shirt. Both are made to show off Bucky’s figure and to help him move as freely as he can--it’s mainly for the former.

 

“Basically, Steve’s going to try his hardest to kick my ass,” Bucky says. “I might let him but who knows what’ll happen.”

 

“There won’t be any ‘letting me.’ I’m coming for you hard and I’m gonna beat you,” Steve says and watches Bucky’s entire expression darken with want as well as determination.

 

“We’ll just have to see about that,” Bucky replies and runs at him.

 

Over the past few weeks Steve has gotten incredibly good at evading Bucky’s attacks and coming back with his own. No matter what Bucky tries, Steve is able to match him move for move and knocks him on his back a few times.

 

“Look at you,” Bucky says and grins at him. “I must say I’m impressed.”

 

“I told you I’d win.”

 

Bucky reaches his hand out for Steve to pull him up and when Steve takes it Bucky yanks him down to the ground. Steve grunts and breaks his fall, hitting the mats slightly lighter than Bucky intended.

 

“You’re such a cheater,” Steve says with a glare.

 

“You have to use everything you can to your advantage,” Bucky says. “You were too cocky, baby, and I won.”

 

“Oh, whatever, you dirty cheater,” he grumbles and gets up to check the comments on his stream. Unsurprisingly, there are quite a few people freaking out over how well their workout went.

 

**spiderpete: holy shit!!**

 

**spiderpete: that was badass omg**

 

**blacksky: your training could be a lot better, I’d love to fight you sometime**

 

**nadiapym: @blacksky I’m sure that’ll happen**

 

**ned__leeds: can James teach me how to do that????**

 

“Excuse me, James didn’t teach me all of that,” he says in a fake angry voice. “I taught him.”

 

“Steve is very gifted in martial arts and self-defense,” Bucky says. “He can kick my ass anytime.”

 

“Thank you for finally admitting it, babe,” Steve replies and kisses Bucky on the cheek. “Now I think we need to go and shower, so thank you for watching! See you next time with a fashion spotlight,” he says and ends the stream. He turns back around to look at Bucky and sees him holding his arm, his eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay?”

 

Bucky nods, “Yeah, I’m good. My arm just feels a little weird right now.”

 

“Did I hurt something when I flipped you?” he asks. Worry fills him immediately because the last thing he wanted to do was actually hurt Bucky.

 

“No, you didn’t,” Bucky assures him. “It takes a lot to damage my prosthetic; it’s made with vibranium.”

 

 _Vibranium._ He remembers Howard and Tony getting into a heated argument a few years ago about attempting to get vibranium for a classified SHIELD project. Tony didn’t think it was right to go to Wakanda because the Wakandans were a very private people, but Howard was determined. He never found out how that ended but it feels like that might have something to do with Bucky’s prosthetic.

 

“If there’s something wrong who can fix it?” Steve asks.

 

Bucky sighs before answering. “Stark.”

 

“Did Howard make it?”

 

“Not himself, but he was part of the program.”

 

“Is that why you keep listening to him?”

 

“It’s probably time to have that talk,” Bucky replies. “We should go somewhere else first.”

 

“All right,” he agrees, both wary and relieved to finally find out what’s been going on behind the scenes.

 

-

 

They decide to go back to Steve’s house and to talk. Steve leads him to the bedroom where they both feel safe and Bucky begins.

 

“After I lost my arm, I was in the hospital rehabbing for a while. I was in a bad place because of the pain and just the entire situation, so when I was asked how I would be paying for my stay I realized I was screwed. I didn’t have health insurance and I definitely didn’t have the money to pay for the fucking astronomical fees,” Bucky says. “It was terrifying because I had no clue what I was supposed to do.”

 

He takes a minute before continuing, “The day after I was initially billed a nurse and doctor came in to inform me that my bills were covered and I was cleared to begin physiotherapy as well as actual rehabilitation. A few weeks into rehab a representative from SHIELD came to see me and congratulated me on my ‘heroic deed’ then he offered me a chance to be part of an experimental prosthetic program. I was surprised so I asked why they would offer me that and they said it was because of my bravery and selflessness. It sat sort of wrong with me but I wanted it so I agreed after thinking about it for a few days.”

 

Steve notices that Bucky’s cheeks are pink so he walks over to the window and opens it to let the cool air in. Bucky smiles at him a little in gratitude.

 

“It all happened very quickly once I was cleared to start with the program. I had to work out to make up for the weight of the arm, and I needed to have surgery to attach the framework of the arm to my spine and set everything up. Once I realized how incredibly strong I was afterwards, I started getting really suspicious because I knew that it wasn’t normal; I was right because the entire program was off the books.”

 

“Bucky…”

 

“I know,” he says. “I didn’t read the fine print and signed myself up for something dangerous without really thinking about it. I wanted out of the program and it was surprisingly easy, but they were keeping tabs on me with a tracker inside of my arm. As soon as I found out about it I found someone who could disable it; once it was disabled they couldn’t track me but I’m on their watch list.”

 

“How are you working for Howard then? He’s one of the founders of SHIELD and obviously he worked on the program.”

 

“I was practically in hiding for a bit before I decided to start paying it forward and using my strength and abilities to do some good. I guess I wasn’t careful enough once and he found me and was going to give me up to the authorities and SHIELD unless I worked for him.”

 

“He _blackmailed_ you?” Steve asks, outraged. “Are you fucking serious?”

 

“Mmm hmm. I work for him in exchange for my secrets being kept and not being arrested.”

 

Bucky being so forthcoming and honest makes Steve feel the need to tell him that he knows the truth. He doesn’t know how Bucky will take it but it needs to be said. “I know you’re not a bodyguard,” he whispers and Bucky stiffens.

 

“I don't know what you're talking about."

 

“Buck, you’ve told me all of this because you trust me, right?” he asks.

 

“Of course I trust you.”

 

“So you can confirm what I already know without worrying that I’m going to judge you or tell anyone anything,” he says. “You’re the Winter Soldier, aren’t you?”

 

“I…” Bucky starts and cuts himself off for a minute. “It’s not by choice anymore.”

 

“Howard has something to do with this.”

 

He nods. “I was... a vigilante, I guess, for over a year, and I tried my best to make things better for everyone that I could. Disguising the arm wasn’t difficult, but I guess I wasn’t careful enough just once and Howard tracked me down from that. Technically, I am your bodyguard, but I’m also working for him in exchange for him not turning me in like I said before.”

 

“So you carry out hits for him,” Steve realizes. Bucky looks away from him and doesn’t say a word. “This is insane! He can’t do this to you; it’s entirely too fucked up.”

 

“It’s either that or I get arrested and thrown into some SHIELD detainment center.”

 

He can’t help but sigh at the dejected tone in Bucky’s voice. There’s something else he needs to ask while they’re being honest with each other, something that’s been bothering him for a while now. “What happened with Vanko?”

 

“I shot him,” Bucky tells him. “He isn’t dead but I shot him in the shoulder to stop him from using his weapons on me. Last I heard he was being extradited to a prison in Siberia.”

 

“Is Hammer getting into any trouble for bringing him here?”

 

“I don’t know but I highly doubt anything is going to happen to him. He has enough money and power to make anything go away if he chooses to.”

 

“That’s ridiculous,” Steve says. “To have that much power is really insane.” He knows it sounds hypocritical considering he was adopted by the Starks, but he stands by it. Letting anyone have that much power only leads to corruption and struggles for everyone else.

 

“I know but nothing can be done at this point. I’m just glad Vanko isn’t here anymore so he isn’t a threat to you or your family.”

 

“Now that he’s gone is Howard still going to have you as my bodyguard?” he asks. He’s nervous about the answer because he doesn’t want Bucky to leave him.

 

“He might just use me for something else now, but I’m not going to leave you,” Bucky tells him. “You’re my boyfriend for real now and the last thing I ever want to do is leave you.”

 

Steve’s heart swells with happiness and he smiles, the tone in the room shifting into something more comfortable and warmer. “Can we still spar?”

 

“You always know just what to say,” Bucky says and tackles him onto the bed.

 

-

 

Much to their surprise Howard doesn’t call on Bucky for a while. They have a lot of free time to post on Instagram, go on dates, and spar. It’s really amazing to finally have some time to be an actual couple without having to worry about Bucky having to leave constantly.

 

On the first warm day of summer, the two of them decide to get some ice cream and go for a walk. The streets are naturally pretty packed because of the nice weather but neither of them mind because it gives them an excuse to be closer. There are a few paparazzi around, yet neither one of them are bothered by them because although no one knows they weren’t really dating before, they’re finally being photographed as a real couple.

 

“Cotton candy ice cream really is the shit,” Steve says and takes a big lick of his ice cream. “Are you sure you don’t want to try some?”

 

“Mmm hmm,” Bucky says with a nod. “I’m good with chocolate.”

 

“You’re really missing out, Buck, but I respect your decision.”

 

“What an understanding boyfriend you are,” Bucky teases but there’s an infinite amount of fondness in his tone. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

 

Steve takes Bucky’s free hand, linking their fingers tightly. Bucky squeezes his hand and knocks his hip against Steve’s. There’s something so calming about just holding hands; they’re tethered together and safe from anything that may try to tear them apart. There isn’t a thing in the world that would make him let go of Bucky.

 

They pass through the crowded streets in silence, simply taking in the energy around them. Something Steve really loves is to watch the people around him, if only briefly. He wonders about what their day has been like and where they’re going, what important things they have to do. It’s an interesting thing to think about, their anonymity.

 

Suddenly Bucky’s left shoulder jerks forward and he gasps, his steps faltering slightly.

 

“Bucky?” Steve asks.

 

Bucky replies with a strained voice, “I’m fine.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

It takes all of one second for Bucky to hiss in pain and drop his ice cream, his left side spasming. Steve hears the sound of metal screeching and takes action, dragging Bucky with him and getting away from the crowded street. He finds an empty alleyway and stops there, helping Bucky stand.

 

Bucky’s left arm is slumped and he’s tilting toward that side, his face ashen and pained. “It’s dead,” Bucky slurs. “Something hit my shoulder and deadened the arm.”

 

“How is that possible?” He tries to keep the panic out of his voice so that he doesn’t upset Bucky more.

 

“I don’t--I don’t know what to do. It’s dead weight; it’s so heavy Steve,” Bucky gasps. “I can’t even lift it.”

 

“We need to get you home,” Steve says. “We can do this, baby.”

 

“I--yeah,” Bucky says. “We’ve gotta go.”

 

Steve holds out his hand and Bucky grabs it to yank himself up. He can feel the weight of Bucky’s arm dragging him down, so he wraps his arm around Bucky’s waist and lets him lean on him. He has no idea how they’re going to make it home like this but there’s no other option; Bucky can’t just hang around like this.

 

When they’re situated they start walking towards the end of the alley slowly.

 

“Stop right there,” someone says from behind them and Steve only stops because he hears the sound of a gun being cocked. “Turn around with your hands up.”

 

“We have to get out here,” Steve hisses.

 

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” the man says. “You won’t get very far.”

 

“I can’t fight them,” Bucky whispers. “We don’t have a choice.”

 

“ _I_ can.”

 

“If you two are done discussing this, turn the hell around. I won’t ask again,” he says.

 

Any thought of trying to make a break for it ends when Bucky trembles and groans, “Fuck.”

 

“All right,” Steve says loudly. “We’re gonna turn around slowly.”

 

“Finally, some thought,” the man says.

 

It takes a minute for the two of them to get themselves together but they slowly turn around in sync. There are five people in SHIELD tactical gear with guns pointed at them, as well as a man with an eye patch and a long leather trench coat.

 

“James Barnes,” he says. “Nice to see you again.”

 

“Director Fury,” Bucky replies, out of breath. “Give me back my arm.”

 

“Not until we've come to an agreement."

 

"What agreement?" Steve asks. He doesn't feel like beating around the bush right now; all he wants is to get Bucky somewhere safe and have his arm fixed.

 

"Mr. Rogers-Stark," Fury says. "You're not part of this so stay out of it."

 

"I have the right to know why a bunch of guns are being pointed at me."

 

"Your boyfriend is a fugitive and we're here to take him in," Fury replies. "Now hand him over and walk away."

 

"No."

 

"You're a pain in my ass, just like Stark," Fury grumbles.

 

"Someone's going to notice an armed squad holding us at gunpoint and post it everywhere," Steve threatens. "I have paparazzi following me all day every day and there's no way this will be kept under wraps for long. Tell me what I want to know and we can go.”

 

Fury rolls his eye in response. “You really are a Stark. Barnes needs to come back to SHIELD right now so we can sort out the situation.”

 

“Is he being detained?”

 

“Is there a reason he should be detained?” Fury asks.

 

“Let’s go,” Bucky says.

 

Steve is still apprehensive about this but there’s nothing that can be done. They’re outnumbered and Bucky can barely stand on his own. They’re led to a black unmarked car that’s clearly armoured in some way, which isn’t all that reassuring. Steve refuses to let go of Bucky for more than the time it takes to slide into the backseat, because if they try to take Bucky they have to take him too.

 

“It’ll be okay,” Bucky whispers to him and holds his hand.

 

Steve nods even though he isn’t entirely sure that it will be. He knows that SHIELD isn’t about to have a pleasant conversation with them then let them go.

 

They’re taken to a nondescript office building and driven straight into the underground parking lot, the entrance locking down immediately once the car drives through. There are no other cars around which makes the entire situation seem all the more intimidating; there isn’t a single person around besides them, which means there are no witnesses for anything that could happen.

 

“Whatever you shot at him, take it off or disable it,” Steve orders. He knows he isn’t in control of the situation but he can’t let Fury or the agents in the car with them see that he’s nervous. “If he isn’t detained then he’s a willing participant. He doesn’t deserve to have his prosthetic disabled for any reason.”

 

“Once we’ve put reached the interview room he’ll be given full range of motion back. This is a safety precaution.”

 

“Would you bind everyone’s prosthetic as a precaution? Or are you just singling Bucky out?”

 

“You’re just adding to the time this is taking," Fury says. "The faster we get upstairs the faster this is all over with."

 

Steve looks over to Bucky, who nods at him. In this situation he’s going to follow Bucky’s lead because this is about him and Steve’s never truly dealt with SHIELD.

 

“That’s what I thought,” Fury comments and they all get out of the car.

 

Being flanked by a team of people holding guns really isn’t the best feeling at all, but Steve tries not to  let them see how he’s really feeling. They go into a large elevator and head up to the thirty-second floor. The elevator opens directly into a large conference room that has more armed guards waiting for them.

 

“This is unnecessary,” Bucky says. “You know I’m not about to attack anyone.”

 

“We can never be sure with you.”

 

Steve walks in behind everyone else so he can send a quick text to Tony and tell him what’s going on. He knows they’re all watching him regardless but he needs Tony to get there quickly so that they have more support. Steve and Bucky sit right beside each other and Steve stares at Fury from across the table, refusing to break eye contact for even a second.

 

“You said you’d take off whatever is disabling his arm,” Steve says. “So do it.”

 

Fury takes a small remote out of his jacket pocket and presses a series of buttons. A coin sized device falls off of Bucky and clatters to the ground; Bucky gasps and his shoulder rotates, his arm powering back up.

 

“I’m not someone who likes wasting time,” Fury says. “So I’m not about to do that right now. Barnes, you’re aware that you ran away from SHIELD and altered SHIELD property,” he holds up his hand before Steve can cut him off. “Upon signing your contract you agreed to be part of the program and work for us. You broke your contract completely and disappeared, which is bad enough, but you’re also using our property for terrorism.”

 

“Terrorism?” Bucky asks, his voice full of disbelief. “Is that really what you’re going with here?”

 

“You’ve killed multiple people, including government officials and civilians. I’ve been personally keeping an eye on you since you went off the grid, which I know you thought was impossible, but this is SHIELD. We work in surveillance and protection so nothing is impossible here.”

 

“If what I’ve allegedly been doing was terrorism and so dangerous, why haven’t you stopped me yet?”

 

Fury leans forward a bit then replies, “I’ve been impressed with your skill, Barnes. I think you’re going to be an asset to SHIELD should you choose to be part of the team I’ve created.”

 

“What team?” Steve asks.

 

“That’s classified.”

 

“If you want me to even consider this, I want Steve in on it,” Bucky says. “If he isn’t allowed to know then I won’t do it.”

 

“I can appreciate your desire to protect each other but it’s unnecessary right now.”

 

“Forgive me for not trusting you after you tied up my arm,” Bucky replies blankly. “Steve and I are a package deal.”

 

Fury gives a nod to one of the armed guards and they all clear out, closing the door behind them. The energy in the room shifts to something calmer albeit still uncomfortable. “The codename for this operation is the Avengers Initiative. I can’t divulge a lot of information considering there is no guarantee that you’ll be signing on, but this initiative is for the protection of everyone we can reach.”

 

“Government-controlled international outreach?” Bucky asks. “Or is this off the books too?”

 

“This would be handled by myself, Agent Hill, and a few other trusted individuals. People within the government will know about this but it isn’t moderated or funded by them. This is strictly voluntary as well; I’m not forcing you into this project.”

 

“Why did you pick me up then?”

 

“We know what Howard has been doing,” Fury says. “He’s been employing you because I asked him to.”

 

“Excuse me?” Steve interrupts. “You had Howard blackmail Bucky this entire time?”

 

“You do realize that this doesn’t help you in the trust department,” Bucky adds.

 

“I’m aware of that, but vigilance comes at the cost of trust. I needed to know what you were capable of and keep you in my sights for a while. You also can’t complain too much because you two would have never met if not for me.”

 

“That isn’t right!” Steve shouts. “You want him to work on your team and you scouted him by blackmailing him and letting Howard keep him in line with threats. You also brought him in using excessive force and accused him of being a terrorist.”

 

The doors slam open and Tony comes running through shouting, “It was Howard who set Bucky up!”

 

“What the hell are you doing here, Stark?”

 

“Whatever you’re trying to charge Bucky for is wrong; he can’t be taking the fall for Howard’s actions.”

 

“You Starks are something else,” Fury says and sighs. “What exactly do you know about Howard’s actions?”

 

“He’s been treating Bucky terribly and obviously up to no good,” Tony responds. “Bucky is not at fault here and shouldn’t be prosecuted.”

 

It’s really sweet to hear Tony defending Bucky even though he doesn’t know everything that’s going on. The thing about Tony is that no matter what he’s always there for Steve, even if they don’t always agree. He’s a good brother regardless of what people may think.

 

“If you’re trying to arrest him we have an army of lawyers that will not rest until you’re all held accountable for this. Bucky will _own_ SHIELD by the time this is all over,” Tony warns.

 

Fury isn’t fazed by him at all; in fact, he looks kind of amused. “As unexpected as your little visit was, it’s good that you’re here. It saves me a lot of time.”

 

Tony’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Huh?”

 

“That suit you’re working on is fully operational now, right?” Fury asks though it clearly isn’t a question.

 

Tony’s expression drops and he sits down in a chair at the end of the table. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“Let’s not waste time here because I’ve done enough of that today. I know you’ve been looking into SHIELD and I’ve seen the suit in action; it’s impressive.”

 

“I--I haven’t flown in it yet,” Tony replies. “I can control it remotely but it isn’t safe to fly in.”

 

“But you’re almost there.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Before you stormed in here, I was explaining that Barnes isn’t being charged with anything, he’s in fact being recruited for a team I’m putting together. You’re on the radar for that and I’m glad I don’t need to make an extra trip,” Fury says. “I want you on this team.”

 

“I don’t do team activities.” Tony sounds both unimpressed and interested. “Especially when I don’t know what they are.”

 

Fury looks at him with his eyebrow raised but doesn’t say anything. Steve can practically feel the discomfort radiating off of Tony. Tony hates not being in control of a situation or not knowing everything that’s going on.

 

“I know you’ve at least seen the brief, Stark. You may be good at hacking into databases but you pay very little attention to security measures.”

 

“What kind of name is the ‘Avengers’ anyway? It sounds like a boy band or something.”

 

“Are you interested or not?”

 

“I need to know more about it before I commit to anything. I’m a busy man and I have to know that this is for good, not for the betterment of the government or some shady organization.”

 

Steve decides to speak up then. “So, Tony, I’m gonna catch you up to speed because it seems like no one is going to. Howard has been blackmailing Bucky to work for him in return for keeping his whereabouts a secret from SHIELD. Apparently SHIELD was behind it all along so that they could keep an eye on Bucky and see him in action as the Winter Soldier; Fury picked us up today by disabling Bucky’s prosthetic and accusing him of terrorism.”

 

Tony’s eyes widen in shock then narrow at Fury. “You disabled his prosthetic? You do realize that he that is his arm that he uses to function in his day to day life, not some weapon of mass destruction, right?”

 

“It was a safety measure that was poorly done, I will admit that.”

 

Steve can barely believe his ears; he’s only known Fury for a little bit over an hour but he knows that’s out of character for him. “Are we free to leave or are we being detained?” Steve asks.

 

“ _You’re_ free to go at any time, but I need Stark and Barnes to stay.”

 

“For what exactly?” Bucky asks. “You’ve given me your pitch and I’m not being charged with anything, so what’s left?”

 

“If you want to leave now I will send you a file containing everything you need to know,” Fury says to Tony. “It’s classified so do not share it with anyone except for Barnes.”

 

“And Steve,” Bucky adds.

 

Fury sighs. “No one other than them.”

 

“All righty then, we’re leaving,” Tony says. “I’m assuming that because of your whole double-crossing schtick Bucky is free to do whatever he wants now and not be under Howard’s thumb, so don’t try to track us anymore or it’s a solid no on the band.”

 

-

 

Instead of going back to the Tower, the three of them go to Steve’s house to regroup. Bucky makes sure everything is locked down before they all move to the guest bedroom where some of Bucky’s stuff is. Bucky catches Tony up on everything he needs to know; how he lost his arm, the program he was part of, and everything after that, including Howard’s blackmail.

 

“What do you think about this?” Tony asks. “You know their operations better than I do.”

 

Bucky has Steve pulled close to his chest, holding onto him tightly. It takes him a few minutes to respond. “All I wanted to do was help people,” he says. “Then everything turned to shit and I had no choice but to do things I really didn’t want to. I can’t believe that I was being manipulated by SHIELD this entire time… I thought I’d gotten away from them.”

 

“I don’t think there’s any getting away from them,” Tony replies. “You tried your best though and you did help people.”

 

“What Fury’s suggesting is essentially superheroes. I know some masked vigilantes that are called superheroes a lot but I don’t know how to feel about this whole idea.”

 

“I don’t trust SHIELD very much if at all," Steve says. "But if you choose to work with them then you have my full support. Both of you."

 

“I want to help people,” Tony says. “That’s why I’ve been making the suit; I know what the Stark Industries reputation is and I want to fix it. I will only work with them if you’re in because they fucked you over and if you still want to trust them then I will too.”

 

Bucky nods and presses his chin against Steve’s shoulder. It seems like he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it but Steve is glad to be able to offer him comfort. “If they’re really running something good then I want to be part of it.”

 

Tony nods. “Okay then. The first thing we have to do is ensure transparency; we’ll make conditions to make sure that they can’t do anything shady without us knowing. We need to make sure that they destroy any documents relating to the program you were part of and any information they have on you so that they have nothing to hold against you should we leave this team.”

 

“Fury said it was voluntary, so I’m not signing anything,” Bucky tells them. “My services will be there only to help people, not to be tied down to anything else.”

 

“So we’ll get back to Fury after we read whatever file he’s sending, okay?” Tony suggests. “That way we can get our demands in order.”

 

“Demands?”

 

“I would like a secret lair somewhere that’s completely off the grid,” Tony says. “Plus I want satellite that follows me during missions to get some great shots of my suit.”

 

Bucky snorts and laughs at him. “You’re absolutely ridiculous.”

 

“Don’t tell me you don’t want some good photos circulating. You’re on Steve’s Instagram every other day and somehow you manage to get the best angles.”

 

“That just comes naturally to him,” Steve says.

 

“Oh you two are just _adorable!_ ” Tony squeals followed by a fake gag. “I can’t believe this is what my life has come to.”

 

“How’s Pepper doing by the way?” Steve asks just to tease him.

 

Tony flushes and glares at him. “You think you’re all that just because you have a hot boyfriend but you are not.”

 

“You think I’m hot?” Bucky asks and smirks at him.

 

“I do have eyes.”

 

“I’m flattered,” Bucky responds. “Wow, I feel very loved right now.”

 

“You are loved,” Steve says without really thinking about it. Both Tony and Bucky tense, Tony staring at Steve with wide eyes.

 

“I’m gonna go make some coffee! Or buy some coffee,” Tony blurts. “I’m gonna make some coffee then watch a movie really loudly!”

 

“Tony--” Steve starts but Tony shakes his head and walks out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Steve can’t bring himself to turn around in case Bucky looks upset or scared; it’ll hurt too much to see his rejection.

 

“You’re loved too,” Bucky says quietly. “I love you.”

 

Steve doesn’t hesitate for even a minute. “I love you, too.”

 

“Finally!” Tony shouts from outside and startles them both. “I have been waiting for weeks!”

 

“Oh my god, Tony, you were supposed to be watching a movie loudly!” Steve shouts.

 

“I wanted to be here for the moment!”

 

“Boundaries, Tony!”

 

Bucky turns his head and presses kisses against Steve’s neck. He closes his eyes and leans back against him, melting into his touch.

 

“If you’re having sex with me outside the door I must inform you that I will sue you for emotional distress,” Tony warns them.

 

“We’re gonna have sex,” Bucky says, his lips barely leaving Steve’s neck.

 

“Wait until I’m at least a city away for the love of all that is just and true!”

 

“We’re in love, Tony,” Steve says in as dreamy a voice as possible. “We can’t help it.”

 

“Fuck you, Steve.”

 

“Well I mean that’s the goal,” Bucky chimes in.

 

“I hate you both so much.”

 

-

 

“Captain America?” Steve asks, trying to hide his real reaction.

 

Bucky rolls his eyes and pulls Steve in closer. “It’s a good name.”

 

“Are you gonna get your own comic book?”

 

“Mmm sure,” he says. “I’ll sign your copy for free, baby.”

 

“Aww, you’re the best boyfriend ever.”

 

Bucky kisses the top of Steve’s head and unlocks the door to their house, guiding Steve inside. As soon as Steve locks the door Bucky presses him up against it and kisses him deeply, holding him as tightly as he can. Steve moans into his mouth and wraps his arms around his neck. Although they’ve been actually dating for months now there’s still something so incredible about being able to kiss Bucky whenever he wants; being able to feel this way freely without worrying about hiding his true feelings is amazing.

 

“Should we go to bed?” Steve purrs.

 

Bucky smirks at him. “I’m definitely on board.”

 

He takes Bucky’s hand and drags him away from the door, Bucky sticking close to him. They get to their bedroom and see that the door is ajar, which they definitely didn’t do. Bucky pulls his knife out of the sheath on his belt and knocks the door open with his foot, ready to attack whoever’s inside.

 

There’s a large box on the bed that’s red and gold, meaning that Tony definitely left it. Ever since he made his ‘Iron Man’ suit he’s been finding as many gold and red items as possible and leaving them in random places. Just to be safe Bucky keeps his knife out and approaches the box slowly, then opens it carefully.

 

“Jesus Christ,” Bucky scoffs, but smiles regardless.

 

“What is it?” Steve asks.

 

Bucky lifts out a picture frame and turns it to face him; inside is a screenshot of the first post on Steve’s Instagram that featured Bucky. It’s a selfie that Steve took to annoy him where Bucky’s face is only half visible. The caption has over 10 hearts around the words _my cutie button bf_ which Bucky complained about for weeks.

 

“I can’t believe you ever tried to pass cutie button off as a pet name for me,” Bucky comments, his voice fond and happy. “People called me that in the comments for weeks.”

 

“I know,” Steve says proudly. “Then people caught a glimpse of your face and realized that cutie button didn’t fit you.”

 

“You called me sex pants once.”

 

“I can’t believe you remember that.”

 

Bucky sets the frame back in the box and shrugs, “I remember pretty much everything. Especially the first time you bested me in training.”

 

“That’s an important memory to you?”

 

“Of course it is; it was hot as hell and showed me that I didn’t have to worry so much about you. I still did because it was my job and I cared about you, but I saw that you really kick ass and can hold your own,” Bucky says and grabs a card from inside the lid.

 

“We should’ve read the card first.”

 

“Maybe but that would’ve ruined the surprise. It says: happy anniversary cap and co, love Sam, Nat, and your best friend Tony.”

 

“It’s not our anniversary,” Steve says. “And I am not ‘and co’.”

 

“Hey I didn’t write it, but it makes you sound like my sidekick.”

 

“Sidekick?” Steve huffs. “I’m no sidekick; I’m the hero.”

 

“I completely agree,” Bucky replies and walks over to pull Steve close, putting his hands on Steve’s hips. “You’d never be a sidekick, Steve.”

 

Steve reaches up and puts his hand on Bucky’s cheek which Bucky nuzzles into. “We’re partners, Buck,” he says and pulls him down for a kiss.

 

“Partners,” Bucky sound dazed when they part and Steve is completely charmed by it.

 

“I love you, cutie button.”

 

Bucky smiles. “I love you too--come on, Steve.”

 

As ridiculous as it sounds, that Instagram post was the start of something incredible between them and it means so much to him. He’s going to hang it up in the living room where everyone who comes to visit can see because it’s the beginning of their story. Who knows what else might end up beside it; Steve kind of hopes that it’s the first of many Captain America comic books and if Steve has his way, eventually a marriage certificate.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: Howard makes ablest statements about Bucky's prosthetic and Bucky's prosthetic is temporarily disabled by Nick Fury. There is a vague description of Bucky losing his arm and a scene involving blood.
> 
> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are very loved!


End file.
